Tonight a 9-year-old boy is on life support after he contracted meningitis. Meningitis is when the tissues around the brain and spinal cord become inflamed, and can be fatal if immediate medical attention is not given. It's transmitted from person to person, and that's why when we learned that the child was attending United Evergreen Primary School in Belmopan, we checked with the principal to see if any other children had gotten ill.
She told us that the classroom the child had been in was properly sanitized, as per the instructions of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Today the MOE CEO explained that the child had not been in school for 6 days so there was no immediate contact with any of his peers. Still, the other students are being observed.
However, the Ministry of Health assured us that this is not a public health crisis, and there is no outbreak at the school. This particular bacterial strain is not highly transmissible, and the school can operate as per normal.
Both ministries emphasized their concern for the child's health. He remains on life support at the KHMH.
