Meningitis
death is 2nd in past week
HEALTH:
An 8-year-old boy is the fifth O.C. fatality this
year.
September 29,
1998
By ELIZABETH
CHEY and LIZ KOWALCZYK
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA — Teachers and administrators
greeted parents at the gates of Pio Pico Elementary on Monday morning with
sad news.
One of their students — 8-year-old Felipe Carrillo —
died of an infectious form of bacterial meningitis Saturday morning. And
school officials, hoping to allay fears, advised parents to get their children
checked for symptoms.
"In our minds it was a matter of urgency,"
said Santa Ana Unified Superintendent Al Mijares. "We all wanted parents
to know as much as possible."
Carrillo is the fifth person to die of bacterial meningitis
in Orange County this year. An Anaheim girl, Ashley Williams, died last
week of the same type of infection, but doctors believe different bacteria
killed Carrillo.
The first signs of Carrillo's infection began last Thursday
when he complained of an ear ache to a school nurse.
"He said his ear hurt," said third-grader Carlos
Hecedia, a playmate.
The Carrillos, who have three other children, cared for
their son at home Friday after doctors said Felipe had an ear infection.
But his parents detected signs of a more serious illness when Felipe became
confused and disoriented, health officials said.
The parents took Felipe to Coastal Communities Hospital
on Friday evening, but his condition worsened. He was later transferred
to Children's Hospital of Orange County, where he died Saturday afternoon.
"There's nothing at all the parents could have done,"
said Dr. James Cappon, critical-care specialist at CHOC. "They brought
him to the hospital as soon as they realized he wasn't himself. That's
what makes this so frustrating. The disease was bigger than our ability
to care for it."
Cappon said Felipe's decline was unusually fast, worsening
in the last 12 to 24 hours. He said he does not know why Felipe got so
sick; he was a "strapping," healthy boy. He did not respond to
aggressive antibiotics.
At school, Felipe's friends recalled how they were playing
with him just recently.
"He was my friend," Carlos said. "And
he died."
Most parents at the school, like Carlos', seemed calm
and informed Monday. Pio Pico staff had begun calling parents of Carrillo's
third-grade classmates Sunday night. They were told to look for signs such
as fever, vomiting, headache, stiff neck, rash or confusion and lethargy.
The school has started a fund for Felipe Carrillo to
help the family with funeral services, scheduled for next week. They are
soliciting financial help from Hispanic organizations and area businesses.
"They are a family of very little means," Mijares
said.
Contributions to the Carillo family can be made to: Sanwa
Bank, 1622 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Please specify the Felipe Carrillo Memorial
Fund..