Meningococcal disease kills Spokane man

Two homeless men in Spokane recently contracted meningococcal disease and one has died, the Spokane Regional Health District reported Monday. A third homeless person is hospitalized with symptoms possibly caused by the disease.

“Meningococcal disease is contagious, and seeing it among the homeless is a particular concern,” said Mark Springer, epidemiologist for the health district, which issued an alert to shelters and emergency personnel. “The symptoms may be mistaken for intoxication or for a person’s normal way of behaving and not treated as a result. It’s also very important that people understand the danger in sharing cigarettes, drinks and eating utensils – they could get very sick from doing that.”

Springer stopped short of labeling the incidents an “outbreak” because the cases do not appear to be linked. One man was staying with friends and the other was living on the streets, he said. Additional tests are being done to determine the specific types of the disease.

“It’s a serious disease so when we see two cases in a similar population, we start asking a little bit more questions,” he said.

Meningococcal disease is a rare bacterial infection. It can either cause the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord to become infected, which is meningitis, or it can cause blood infections. It is transmitted when an infected person sneezes or coughs, or through contact with saliva, either by sharing items such as drinking glasses, or through intimate contact.

The health district contacted a number of homeless shelters and emergency personnel following the diagnoses.

“While this is a serious disease and we want to make sure anyone who is dealing with the homeless is aware of the situation, we also want to take a step back and say this is not something to panic about,” Springer said.

Springer said the health district doesn’t see a lot of “secondary transmission,”referring to cases in which people catch the disease from other people. More often, people carry the bacteria which then become activated either by other infections or by a weakened immune system. Meningococcal disease and meningitis can cause organ damage, lost limbs, hearing loss and other problems.

One of the men who contracted the disease stayed at the House of Charity, 32 W. Pacific Ave., on Friday, said program coordinator Michael Cain. Though that man previously had been banned from the homeless shelter because of his behavior, most people were admitted last week due to the extreme cold, Cain said.

After determining who came into contact with the man, several staff members and “a handful” of clients took antibiotics as a preventive measure, Cain said.

“In a place like this, it’s impossible to determine who came into contact with him,” Cain said. “It’s a significant challenge. When you’re talking meningitis, you’ve obviously got to take it very seriously.”

Spokane Valley Fire Department emergency personnel treated the other man last week before taking him to Valley Hospital and Medical Center where he died several hours later, said EMS Division Chief Randy Olson. Three of Olson’s staff returned to the hospital the following day for antibiotics.

As a result, Olson said he is pushing for policies requiring hospitals to notify emergency personnel if someone they treat is later diagnosed with an infectious disease so they can pursue treatment for themselves and their families if necessary. Though Olson received a courtesy call from hospital personnel, he said no policy requiring such a call exists to his knowledge.

“It should be a check-off list in my opinion,” Olson said.