Caretaker at school `critically ill' with meningitis

From the archive, first published Friday 10th Feb 2006.

A school caretaker was today critically ill in hospital with meningitis.

It brings to 11 the number of confirmed meningitis cases in Bradford since the start of the year.

Richard Sewell, caretaker at Reevy Hill Primary School, in Bedale Drive, Buttershaw, was being treated at Leeds General Infirmary.

A spokesman for the school said: "Our caretaker Richard Sewell is critically ill in hospital. Public health have informed us there is not a danger to children in the school."

A letter has been sent out to parents to inform them of the situation and to tell them not to be alarmed as the meningitis is not thought to be infectious.

Mr Sewell lives in a house within school grounds with his wife Tracey and children who attend the school.

Bradford Health Protection Unit said they were aware of a Bradford man critically ill in hospital with pneumococcal meningitis.

Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Bradford, Dr Suzanna Mathew, said: "Pneumococcal bacteria is one of the causes of meningitis. Cases caused by pneumococcal bacteria pose a particularly low risk of infection to others in the community.

"Because of this doctors do not recommend any preventative action for anyone who has been in contact with a case.

"While I understand people's concerns in these situations, it is very uncommon indeed to see other linked cases.

"Pneumococcal meningitis has the same symptoms as other forms of bacterial meningitis and, as always, it is important to be aware of the symptoms and to seek medical advice if there is any concern."

The Department of Health yesterday announced that every baby in the country would be offered a new vaccine to protect against pneumococcal infections.

Every year as many as 50 children lose their lives from serious pneumococcal infections in England and Wales.

A spokesman for the Health Protection Unit, the organisation responsible for monitoring the spread of communicable diseases, said Bradford was not experiencing an unusual rise in the number of cases of notifiable illness such as meningitis.

"We are not seeing anything that is unusual," she said. "In winter you would expect to see a rise in the number of infections that cause things such as meningitis, gastro-enteritis, diarrhoea and vomiting and flu-like illnesses.

"That is what we are seeing at the moment."

As reported in the T&A last week, a 19-year-old Bradford girl died in the intensive care unit of Bradford Royal Infirmary on Sunday, January 29 of suspected meningococcal meningitis.

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