The Oakland County Health Division in Michigan is working to contact more than 200 potentially exposed children after becoming aware of a bacterial meningitis infection in a day camp counselor at Life Time Fitness in Rochester Hills, Mich., according to the Detroit Free Press.
Health officials were unable to predict how many individuals would become infected.
"It's a hypothetical guess at best," George Miller, director of Oakland County Health and Human Services, told the Free Press. "We don't know until we start watching the symptoms."
The roughly 219 campers who attended the day camp at are at the highest risk of exposure. The campers range from ages 5 to 12. Health officials are currently reaching out to the families of campers and encouraging them to seek post-exposure treatment regardless of the child's vaccination history.
"Bacterial meningitis is a serious illness that can develop quickly but can also be prevented through antibiotics after exposure," said Dr. Pamela Hackert, MD, chief of medical services for the Health Division. "People who have been contacted by Life Time Fitness and told that they have potentially been a contact to this case should receive antibiotics immediately."
Bacterial meningitis is passed by lengthy person to person contact — most often through exposure to saliva or spit — and can be fatal. The infection can also cause permanent disabilities like brain damage and hearing loss. Find more information about bacterial meningitis here.
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