1. A few isolated reports of learners with meningitis at school have been forwarded to the Western Cape Education Department.
2. Schools are advised not to regard this as an "outbreak" as has been reported. However, in order to educate and prepare schools adequately, a pamphlet from the Department of Health is attached for your interest and for noting.
3. Should a medical practitioner contact the school with a confirmed diagnosis of meningitis for one of the learners/educators at the school, the following are the recommended steps that must be taken immediately by the school principal and school governing body:
3.1 Contact must be made with the education district office to report the confirmed diagnosis at the school.
3.2 The education district office must contact the Regional Health Services' Communicable Disease Unit. The Regional Health Services will intervene at the school level by monitoring and evaluating the level of risk at the school. Dependent on a variety of factors, risk of infection is rated as low, medium or high.
3.3 Recommendations for further steps will be made by the Health team and the education district office management, with follow-up monitoring as necessary.
4. Heads of educational institutions are earnestly requested to regard this seriously, and to follow these steps in the unlikely event of a case of meningitis being reported at their school.
5. Heads of educational institutions are requested to inform their staff and governing body of the content of this minute.


SIGNED: HA LEWIS
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2009:03:16

Meningococcal Meningitis  (size: 29 KB)