Of all the fears that can freak a parent out, news that somebody at your kid’s day camp came down with bacterial menigitis and died is about the worst. That’s what happened this weekend to a 5-year-old Livingston girl who attended Jefferson Lake Day Camp, which is popular among families in this area.
Corinne Ellmer, nurse at Montclair Pediatrics, says she’s fielded about three calls today from nervous parents, and she’s passing on the best advice from St. Barnabas Hospital, where the girl was treated. People in close contact with a victim of meningitis (in the same household or day care center or who have shared saliva) are advised to take an antibiotic called Rifampin prophylactically.
Health officials for the state, meanwhile, have set up a toll-free number: 1.866.234.0964
On Thursday, in Montclair, a concert will be held to help pay for medical costs of Jayden Singer, a three-year-old from Bloomfield, who survived a severe case of bacterial meningitis this spring. The 7 pm jazz concert, organized by Montclair musician David Morrish, is free and will be held at the Montclair High School ampitheater. Money will be raised for Jayden Singer through donations and T-shirt sales.