Two Crescenta Valley High Students Ill in Meningitis Scare

Two Crescenta Valley High School students are being treated for a serious form of bacterial meningitis following an outbreak that led school and health officials to call a clinic where antibiotics were handed out to all takers.

Ashley Insalaco, a senior at CV High, was in the intensive care unit at Verdugo Hills Hospital Tuesday evening surrounded by family members, according to her close friend, Sabrina Walentynowicz, who said she was told that evening by someone on the scene that Ashley was in a coma and non-responsive.

Sabrina said Ashley was at Magic Mountain on Sunday when she first experienced nausea and a headache. The illness progressed throughout the evening and into Monday but the victim thought it was the flu, according to her friend.

When asked Wednesday morning about the female victim’s condition, Lynda Burlison, R.N. health services coordinator for Glendale Unified School District, said, “From what I have heard, the one student is no longer on a respirator.” A hospital spokesperson, Tracey Laity, would not confirm the girl’s condition in the morning, but called the Valley Sun Wednesday afternoon to say, “She has come out of her coma and is responding.”

A second victim is identified as a CV High junior, Garegin Iskandan. It was unclear as of press deadline what his condition was or where he was being treated.

After learning sometime Tuesday that two of their students had been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, CV High and Glendale Unified School District officials alerted approximately 2,000 local families via a PTSA e-mail list sent at 4:58 p.m. and through a telephone advisory system that a clinic would be set up immediately in the high school’s gymnasium where the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, in pill form, would be provided to students accompanied by their parents or guardians.

The first clinic was staged from 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 14, with the second one set for 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, also in the school gym. Verdugo Hills Hospital’s Laity reported that several of the hospital’s clinical staff members volunteered to help administer the medication at both clinics, in addition to working their regular shifts.

According to Burlison, as the evening unfolded Tuesday several other CV High students were advised to go to the hospital because they were exhibiting symptoms that might be indicative of the disease.

“We are erring on the side of caution,” said Deborah Davenport, a County nurse.

Some 1,600 teens, with their parents in tow and signed approval forms in hand, lined up to be administered the drug Tuesday night. Scores more were in line Wednesday morning,

“Even though Health Department people are walking around with megaphones saying that if you haven’t had close contact with [the meningitis victims] then you don’t need to take the pill, no one is getting out of line,” said one parent, attending the clinic with her son, who asked not to be identified.

In the adjacent La Cañada Unified District, Superintendent Jim Stratton said information on the disease will be sent out to students and their parents as soon as it becomes available from the County.

“As soon as we found out about the meningitis outbreak, I was on the phone right away to Supervisor [Michael D.] Antonovich’s office to assess the situation,” Stratton said.

The superintendent was told that as soon as the crisis was taken care of at C.V. High, the district would receive information about the disease, what its symptoms are and what precautions can be taken.

“They never said when they would get the information to us, but I’m sure it will be in a timely manner,” Stratton said.

In a press advisory issued Tuesday afternoon, Antonovich’s office listed the following symptoms that may be associated with meningitis: fever, severe and persistent headache, stiff and painful neck, especially when trying to touch the chin to the chest, vomiting, confusion and decreased level of consciousness, seizures.

“If you are concerned about meningitis or the symptoms you can call the Glendale Health office at 818-500-5760 or call your family physician,” said CV High’s Davenport.

— Carol Cormaci and Ralph Saenz contributed to this report.