Overview
- The Chicago Department of Public Health reports at least seven adult meningococcal cases since Jan. 15, including two deaths, and says communitywide links have not been identified.
- At least two infections involved residents of the same temporary homeless shelter, with officials noting the bacterium spreads through saliva during close, prolonged contact.
- Health workers have traced close contacts for all confirmed patients and provided treatment to those exposed, according to the department.
- Chicago typically records 10 to 15 cases in a full year; the illness can progress rapidly and carries a 10% to 20% mortality rate even with antibiotics.
- The CDC recently narrowed broad childhood recommendations for meningococcal vaccination, a move opposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and backed by the American Medical Association’s endorsement of the AAP schedule.