High School Battles Meningitis

Over 1,500 Crescenta Valley High School students lined up outside the school with their parents on Tuesday night after being notified that two students were diagnosed with a form of bacterial meningitis.

An announcement was made over the school’s PA system at the end of the school day on Tuesday that there was a health concern, however at that time all the information on the two students had yet to be determined, said Linda Evans, CVHS co-principal.

Once it was determined that the illness was bacterial meningitis, a serious infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain, the Department of Health, Glendale Health Department, Glendale Unified School District and CVHS administration discussed the procedure that they would implement. It was determined that the best course of action was to distribute a preventive dose of antibiotics to all students at the school.

“This is really a precaution,” said Sungsook Kim, CVHS assistant principal.

Parents get the news

Parents received an e-mail through the PTSA bulletin system as well as automated phone calls utilizing the district’s Phone-Ed program. The message told parents that the Department of Health would be at the school from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday evening and at that time students could receive a single 500 mg pill of the antibiotic Ciprofoxacin. Parents were required to accompany their students. The Department of Health was also going to be at the school the following day, Wednesday, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. About 1,000 students and teachers were treated then.

According to RN Lynda Burlison, eleventh grade student Garegin Iskandari was confirmed with meningococcal meningitis. A second student, senior Ashley Insalaco, has been clinically confirmed with the disease. A clinical diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms with confirmation coming only after laboratory blood tests are completed. The names of the students were released because of the infectious nature of the meningitis. It is important to know who had contact with the infected students, Burlison said.

CVHS parents and students were calm while standing in line waiting for their medication. Many parents interviewed said they were worried, however they understood the ways on how the disease could be contracted which includes being sneezed or coughed on by an infected person, sharing drinks or lipstick or by kissing.

Kirk Smith, father of freshman Connor Smith, said he felt this was a very grave situation. “I’m very concerned,” he said. “Is this going to spread? Is it going to be like TB or polio?”

Math teacher Alan LaFace was on site to receive the medication, but was undaunted by the situation. “I’m not worried,” he said. “We just have to take precautions.” He did say that the teachers weren’t given much more information than the students.

“I am a little worried,” said parent Jeanette Krise. She added that she knew about meningitis because her older son had been vaccinated for the disease before entering college.

Although concerned about their health, many students were also concerned about the two infected students.

“I grew up with Ashley,” said Kameron Krise, a CVHS senior.

He added that he was worried about Insalaco and hoped that she would get better. Krise also knew her from sports as she is active in softball.

“She had gone to Magic Mountain on Sunday,” said one of Insalaco’s friends Sabrina Walentynowicz. Sabrina had spoken with her friend’s family over the weekend. “She wasn’t felling well that night (Sunday). She didn’t come to school on Monday.”

Walentynowixz said she called her friend on Monday afternoon. They had planned to go out later that night. She was told that Insalaco had been admitted into Verdugo Hills Hospital.

According to several sources, Insalaco was in a coma on Tuesday night and was non-responsive. By Wednesday afternoon her condition had improved.

“She is out of a coma and is now responsive,” said Tracey Laity, spokeswoman for Verdugo Hills hospital.

There have been a few negative reaction to the antibiotic but for the most part everyone is getting back to normal, Burlison said.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of Public Health and Health Officer for Los Angeles County, was also on hand, speaking into a megaphone to the group and talking quietly to concerned family members. Dr. Fielding is responsible for a full range of public health activities for ten million L.A. county residents.

Community responds

Crowd control was a major concern for the evening. On hand to assist with this were volunteers with the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s department. 15 volunteers arrived on scene at 6 p.m. to help direct vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The school’s resource office, Deputy Frank Diana, was also on scene and was impressed with the volunteer turnout. “They really helped out,” he said. “There was an outstanding response,” he said of the call for help.

Additional help came in the form of volunteers from the PTSA, the community and Verdugo Hills Hospital who had many of their employees volunteer hours at the school.

Co-principal Linda Evans was pleased with how smoothly the situation went. “I think we did a good job,” she said. She added that the entire community turned out to help support the school, pointing out that not only was the district represented by superintendent Dr. Michael Escalante and assistant superintendent Greg Franklin but school board members Mary Boger, Joylen Wagner and Greg Krikorian were all at the campus.

The job now is to get back to normal. According to Burlison, CVHS is currently one of the safest places in regard to contracting this type of meningitis.

Although the two sick students have siblings in middle and elementary schools, Burlison said that they have been treated and posed no threat with regards to this type of meningitis.

About a dozen CVHS students have been sent to the hospital complaining of symptoms, but there has not been one other case reported or confirmed.

“This is flu season,” Burlison said.

Many of the symptoms can imitate those of the flu.

If anyone has questions about Meningococcal meningitis Burlison advises to call a personal physician or the Glendale Health Department at 500-5760.

— Robin Goldsworthy contributed to this story.