Posted on 03/29/2013 8:11:24 PM PDT by BenLurkin
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Public health officials in Orange County issued a warning Friday about a potential outbreak of meningococcal disease after an 18-year-old Huntington Beach girl was diagnosed with the infection.
Kaitlyn Dobrow has been hospitalized at UC Irvine Medical Center since February following surgeries to amputate parts of all four of her limbs, along with suffering severe skin damage.
Dobrow first began complaining of head and body aches on Feb. 12, according to her mother, Kathi, who says Kaitlyn was unable to get out of bed hours later despite taking Advil for her symptoms.
The paramedics were called and transported her to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with Meningocococcemia and admitted to the ICU.
“For the next week, her condition worsened, and we were so afraid we were going to lose her,” Kathi said in a statement. “Thankfully, she survived.”
Meningocococcemia – which is fatal in approximately 10 percent of all cases – has been linked to meningitis and blood infection and can cause serious complications, including blood clotting and tissue damage, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At least five deaths in Tijuana have been linked to one of four strains of the disease, which can be prevented by vaccination for children ages 11 and 12, according to CDC.
There have been two cases reported in Orange County this year caused by other strains of meningococcal infection, officials said.
Kaitlyn – who was scheduled for her ninth surgery Friday – has already had six operations in her one-month-long stay in the ICU, and Kathi said doctors are still unsure how long she will be hospitalized once she is released from the burn unit.
Her mom acknowledged that the cost of Kaitlyn’s surgeries continues to mount, and the family may be forced to sell their current home in order to make room for any modifications that need to be made to accommodate Kaitlyn upon her release.
An online fundraising effort to help the family cover Kaitlyn’s medical needs has already raised over $17,000 on its way to a $25,000 goal.
But for Kathi, just witnessing her daughter’s perseverance and strength in the face of such a traumatic illness has been an inspiration.
“Kaitlynn has had an amazingly positive and courageous attitude throughout this illness and is determined to have a happy, fulfilling life, believing that God has an awesome plan for her future,” Kathi said. “She is my hero.”
How do diseases like this get loose in the United States?
“The incidence of endemic meningococcal disease during the last 13 years ranges from 1 to 5 per 100,000 in developed countries, and from 10 to 25 per 100,000 in developing countries. During epidemics the incidence of meningococcal disease approaches 100 per 100,000. There are approximately 2,600 cases of bacterial meningitis per year in the United States, and on average 333,000 cases in developing countries.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meningococcal_disease
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
So far the false positive rate is 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
I don’t know but this sounds like a gut
wrenching scam for donations.
Sadly, this is all too real.
Ohmygoodness yes.
remember that woman who got flesh-eating disease after she got injured in some zip line accident.
I think that’s what they are called zip lines.
Yikes! Wash your hands people, it’s pretty much all you can do.
How does she not have insurance coverage?
Well there might be a answer to your question here:
“At least five deaths in Tijuana have been linked to one of four strains of the disease, which can be prevented by vaccination for children ages 11 and 12, according to CDC.”
My wife says our sixth grader got the vaccine just before start of the school year.
BenLurkin asked:"How do diseases like this get loose in the United States?"
I think the above statement in italics tells the story. Illegals brought it into this country with them. Along with anti-biotic resistant TB and other diseases we should have gotten rid of long ago.
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