Hatzalah Issues Meningitis Warning in Crown Heights

Crown Heights Hatzalah issued an urgent alert Friday after a young man was taken to the hospital with meningococcal meningitis, an infection that Hatzalah warned can become extremely serious for those who contract it.

Hatzalah said the infection is transmitted through droplets of saliva and can be contagious to people who have had close and prolonged contact with an infected person. Hatzalah stressed that treatment must begin immediately, and urged anyone experiencing fever or headache, with or without a rash, while feeling “unusually ill,” to seek medical attention right away.

New York City health officials say meningococcal disease generally requires close or prolonged contact to spread. Close contacts can include people living in the same household, intimate contacts, or those who kissed or shared drinks, eating utensils, or other items exposed to the infected person’s saliva. Casual contact in a classroom, office, shul, or similar setting is generally not considered an exposure.

Health officials say people who have had close contact with someone with meningococcal disease may need preventive antibiotics, which should be given as soon as possible, even if they have previously been vaccinated.

Symptoms can appear between two and ten days after exposure, most often within about five days, and can progress rapidly. Health officials list fever, headache, stiff neck, vomiting, confusion, severe muscle aches, cold hands and feet, unusual weakness, and rash among possible symptoms.

Hatzalah said it is fully updated on the situation and can direct those who need assistance to appropriate medical care.