2010-02-12 06:03:53 - Epidemic Hazard - Canada EDIS CODE: EH-20100212-24908-CAN
Date & Time: 2010-02-12 06:03:53 [UTC]
Area: Canada, Province of Ontario, , Windsor Number of death person(s): 1
Not confirmed information! Description: The cause of an eight-year-old girl’s sudden death Sunday at the emergency department of Windsor Regional Hospital remains a mystery after a coroner's preliminary report ruled out meningitis. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Allen Heimann and WRH’s chief of staff, Dr. Gary Ing, said Thursday the London coroner investigating the death has found no evidence of meningitis, a potentially deadly infection of the lining around the brain and the spinal cord. The cause of death remains unknown and it could take weeks before it’s determined through further microbiology tests, Ing said. The girl was rushed to WRH’s Met campus by ambulance Sunday morning and died in the ER sometime in the afternoon. Through Facebook memorial groups, she has been identified as Grade 3 Victoria public school student Destiny Sammut. Through the funeral home, her family members have said they are too distraught to speak to The Star. “At this time, I don’t even want to guess what (the cause of death) could be, to avoid further panic,” Ing said. While the coroner is still investigating, there is nothing to suggest another kind of highly contagious disease, Heimann said. “Meningococcal meningitis was a particular concern and that’s been ruled out. We’re not looking at any other type of public health intervention with the school or the public.” The hospital initially suspected meningitis played a part in the girl’s death and is doing its own internal investigation in addition to the coroner’s probe — standard procedure when a child dies suddenly. The girl’s family members and front line staff who treated her at the ER were given antibiotics as a precaution. People who attended the ER Sunday were also being notified to watch for symptoms of meningitis — severe headache, high fever, vomiting, drowsiness and irritability. The child was first taken to the Met ER Friday and released, before being rushed back Sunday.
The name of Hazard: Unidentified Disease
Symptoms: Meningitis ruled-out.
Species: Human
Status: Suspected
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