6th Case of Meningococcemia Diagnosed

As about 300 friends and family on Tuesday laid to rest a 12-year-old Costa Mesa girl who died of a rare bacterial disease, the Orange County Health Care Agency reported that the same illness has been diagnosed in a sixth Orange County resident.

The latest patient, a 20-year-old Orange man, is recovering at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, said Dr. Hildy Myers, an epidemiologist with the health agency.

But Myers emphasized Tuesday that “there is no evidence of a countywide outbreak” of the disease, meningococcemia, despite widespread concern after two Orange County children died of it within three weeks.

Meningococcal infections, which target the blood and spinal systems, occur at a rate of one per 100,000 people annually, authorities said. Orange County typically has seen an average of 20 to 40 meningococcal cases per year and up to three deaths annually, Myers said.

In San Diego, where the illness has been diagnosed in eight children this year at Children’s Hospital, officials also tried to quell public anxiety Tuesday. There have been no deaths, and all but two boys have been treated and released, hospital spokesman Mark Morelli said. A 3-year-old boy from Escondido remains in critical condition and might undergo a foot amputation, Morelli said. Another 3-year-old, from El Centro, is in fair condition and recovering.

Last year, two San Diego residents contracted the disease. Eight cases were diagnosed in 1995, said Chris Abe, hospital manager of infection control.

Health officials said meningococcemia is a seasonal disease, and the number of cases typically rises in December through February. The risk of developing the disease is low, especially if people avoid exchanging saliva and sharing food and beverages.

Myers said the fact that two teenagers from the same Costa Mesa High School contracted the disease recently was unusual.

Kori Emer, a seventh-grader at the school, died of the infection last Thursday. Another seventh-grader at the school is being treated at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Hospital officials said Tuesday that the girl is in critical condition but is showing signs of improvement.

The Orange County Health Care Agency and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are conducting tests to determine whether the two cases are related or coincidental. Preliminary lab results may be released later this week, Myers said at a news conference in Santa Ana.

Just a few miles away, Kori Emer’s funeral was held at Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park in Costa Mesa. About 300 educators, relatives and fellow students paid their last respects to the young athlete.

“The way we carry on is to remember Kori,” said Bob Wade, the girl’s soccer coach. “She was like a daughter to me.”

Tearful friends tried to make sense of the loss.

“I wish I could see her one more time and tell her how much I love her,” said Brittany, a close friend who declined to give her last name.

Karlene, another good friend of Kori who also declined to give her last name, fought back tears as she stepped to the altar. “Always a loving person, she will be a great loss. But she’d want us to go on.”

In his eulogy, the Rev. Charles T. Hughes said: “We have all been touched by Kori. We have been touched by an angel.”