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CNN Sunday Morning

Two Ohio Teens Die of Meningitis

Aired June 03, 2001 - 08:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: A story out of northeastern Ohio now. Crowds have been lining up for medicine after health authorities diagnosed a third case of a bacterial infection that can cause meningitis. Two teenagers in Alliance, Ohio have died of Neisseria meningitidis, and authorities have ordered most of the city's residents to undergo a preventive antibiotic treatment now.

So joining us from Alliance, Ohio is Tracy McCool of CNN Cleveland affiliate WJW.

Hello, there Tracy. What can you tell us?

TRACY MCCOOL, WJW REPORTER: Well, I can tell you that health officials out here in Star County are working round the clock to stop the spread of this potentially deadly bacteria. Two teens from West Branch High School lost their lives last week due to this bacterial meningitis.

And then when things just started to calm down out here a little bit a third case has been confirmed and health officials put this community on alert Saturday night and once again people are lining up outside the Alliance Community Hospital waiting once again for their preventive medication.

Now, health officials announced this massive immunization campaign to cover every student in three local school districts. Now, doctors here in Alliance say as many as 25,000 people may need to be treated with the antibiotics to stop the spread of this disease. Now, the antibiotics stop the spread of the disease, but people who are already infected with this bacteria now need to seek further treatment.

Now, following this announcement on Saturday night, people, as you can imagine, scrambled to their local hospital. Hundreds of people lined up outside of community hospitals, stood in the pouring rain, hoping to go home with their medication by night. But again, with three confirmed cases in this area, this area, this community is on alert and people are not taking any chances.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone is so devastated for the families that but then so scared for themselves, too, and just worried about it. And then you get all the rumors flying about. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MCCOOL: Now, this campaign again covers three local school districts, Alliance city schools, Marlington, West Branch school districts. Parents, teachers, students are being asked to come to this local hospital to get their antibiotics. These antibiotics are free but again, we should tell you that more pills are being flown in from other parts of the country to meet up with this demand to see this community through this crisis. And we should also mention that the 18-year-old Marlington High School senior who is now hospitalized with bacterial meningitis is listed in serious condition.

STOUFFER: Tracy, a quick question for you. Are officials saying anything about how this infection may have started in the town and how is it spread?

MCCOOL: You know what, and that's why this whole thing is so hard to understand. Health officials have not been able to pinpoint the exact origin of this bacteria. At this point they can't even say if the two cases at the West Branch High School were even connected in any way. And because of that, that's why they're asking all of these people in these three local school districts to come here to the local hospital to be treated.

STOUFFER: Incredible effort. Tracy McCool of CNN Cleveland affiliate WJW, thanks a lot for that.

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