Woman At Convention Contracted Meningitis Before Arrival: Officials

CHERRY HILL, NJ— According to an Associated Press report on aol.com today, a woman who became sick at a convention at the Cherry Hill Hilton and died over the weekend had a form of meningitis. But her case doesnt appear to be part of a larger outbreak, said health officials today. Joanne Hemstreet, 45, of Kingston, MA, died early Sunday at Kennedy Memorial Hospitals-Cherry Hill, hours after checking herself in with fever, headache, vomiting and shortness of breath. Seven other people— out of the some 500 other employees attending the national sales convention for Cendant Mortgage— were hospitalized as a precaution with flu-like symptoms. Health officials had initially worried that the illnesses were caused by meningococcus, anthrax or Legionnaires disease. Legionnaires disease, caused by a bacterium that grows in water and can be spread through air conditioning ducts, takes its name from a July 1976 outbreak that killed 29 people at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention at a hotel in nearby Philadelphia. None of the seven people hospitalized was known to have been in close contact with Hemstreet during the convention. They developed fevers, chills, sore throat and general weakness, and two had pneumonia. They were given antibiotics and admitted for further treatment and observation as a precaution. None was in critical condition. Results of their preliminary culture tests were expected sometime today, according to officials. About 80 people who might have had contact with Hemstreet went to the emergency room for evaluation. Antibiotics were given to anyone who had close contact with Hemstreet, perhaps by sharing drinking glasses or eating utensils, hospital spokeswoman Nicole Pensiero said. Authorities said Sunday that her death was caused by fulminant bacterial pneumonia, an aggressive infection that usually starts after an upper respiratory tract infection such as influenza damages the lungs. That cause of death was still subject to state review. On Monday, they said she was also infected with Neisseria meningitidis, a bacteria that causes rapidly worsening infections. It is not as contagious as viral meningitis, but occasionally causes small outbreaks among people in close contact, such as in college dormitories and in military barracks. There didnt appear to be an outbreak, and Hemstreet probably had the disease before she arrived at the convention, said Lorraine Hynes, a spokeswoman for the Camden County Department of Health. She indicated a state health department lab was working to confirm the meningitis diagnosis. SOURCE: The Associated Press, aol.com