Health scare closes E. Texas schools
An East Texas school district has closed all three of its campuses — elementary, middle and high schools — for the week after an elementary school employee reported being treated for meningitis symptoms.
A week after a measles outbreak was reported in the greater Houston area and a possible case was investigated in Orange, parents at Newton Elementary School were told their children may have been exposed to another infectious disease with the potential to kill.
“We personally contacted the family of every child that came into contact with the employee,” Newton Superintendent Michelle Barrow said.
The employee’s name and position were not released, and Barrow declined to say how many people were contacted directly. Parents said an automated phone message was sent out to all district families on Sunday.
Meningitis, the swelling of the protective outer membranes of the brain and spinal cord, comes in six varieties and each has many possible causes and varying levels of virulence and mortality rates, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The type of meningitis suspected in Newton County has not yet been confirmed, but the school district urged parents in a social media post to keep an eye on their children’s health and seek medical attention if needed.
Jasper County Urgent Care referred more than six patients to Christus Southeast Texas Jasper Memorial Hospital for meningitis testing on Monday, an employee said.
Newton ISD plans to keep its schools closed until Monday, although Thursday and Friday were already scheduled holidays. Barrow said all three campuses will be thoroughly cleaned.
District employees will clean the middle and high schools. But Aqua One Professional Solutions and Services, a disaster recovery and decontamination company based in Nederland, will handle the cleaning of the elementary campus on Tuesday and perhaps Wednesday.
First, workers will wipe down every surface with a germicidal disinfectant cleanser that Aqua One coowner Krin Mackenroth said is registered with the Environmental Protectant Agency and has a gold seal for safety and efficacy.
The school will then be “bombed” with a fine mist of a nontoxic, professionalgrade cleanser, Mold100. The same process will be repeated throughout the school’s heating and airconditioning system.
Symptoms of bacterial meningitis include high fever, headache, stiff neck in anyone older than 2, nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. The disease can cause death or result in brain damage or hearing loss. Its effects also can lead to limb amputation or learning disabilities, the CDC said.