Brandon Twp.- Viral meningitis caused a one-day postponement of the Blackhawks? varsity football game against Swartz Creek.
The Blackhawks would fall at home to the Dragons by one point, 22-21, the afternoon of Sept. 26. The game had previously been scheduled for Sept. 25, but was called off by Brandon School District officials when they learned Swartz Creek had cancelled school throughout their district that day due to two cases of viral meningitis.
Brandon Superintendent Matt Outlaw said he was notified by Brandon Athletic Director Don Watchowski on Sept. 24 that a Swartz Creek High School staff member, as well as a student in the Swartz Creek District, had been diagnosed with viral meningitis, an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord that can be caused by multiple viruses, including influenza. Swartz Creek had closed the high school on Sept. 24, but were planning on continuing with sporting events. Brandon officials made the decision not to send Blackhawks junior varsity and freshman football teams to Swartz Creek that Thursday night and the following morning, when Outlaw learned Swartz Creek had cancelled school throughout their district, he decided to postpone the varsity game to 1 p.m. the following day, with the JV game to precede it at the Brandon High School Stadium.
‘Their district was working with the Genesee County Health Department and they told them it was OK to play sports,? said Outlaw. ‘We called the Oakland County Health Division as well, and they communicated that they felt risk was low, but we decided since Swartz Creek was going to close their entire district, we didn’t think it was appropriate to play football on Friday here against them… We wanted to give them time to assess what was going on in their district and they indicated they were going to return to normal operations after Friday, so we moved the game to Saturday and they agreed with that.?
Rodney Hetherton, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Swartz Creek, did not return calls for comment. A statement from Hetherton on the Swartz Creek Schools website dated Sept. 26 confirmed a third case of viral meningitis, this time at the middle school in the district. Hetherton added, ‘The Genesee County Health Department has stated that we are, and have always been, clear to play all athletic events? and ‘Our disinfectants and protocols have been discussed with the health department. They confirmed that both are appropriate cleaning measures.?
Genesee County had 49 confirmed cases of viral meningitis last year. Oakland County had 45 viral meningitis cases confirmed in 2014.
‘What people need to understand is this is just an infection that occurs in the meninges,? said Mark Valacak, GCHD health officer. ‘Flu can cause it, West Nile Virus can cause it, measles and mumps and chicken pox can cause it? it’s just where the virus infects.?
Flu typically causes respiratory illness, but a person who contracts influenza and has the virus settle in the spine may have more severe symptoms that lead to testing for, and diagnosis of, viral meningitis.
Symptoms include fever, nausea, severe headache, stiff neck, and sensitivity to bright lights. Because it is viral, it can’t be treated with antibiotics and as with regular flu, the recommendation is to stay hydrated while the illness runs its course.
‘The infection that caused it is contagious, you can get flu from another person, but that doesn’t mean if you get the flu virus you will end up with meningitis,? said Valacak. ‘We are getting into flu season, the best way to protect yourself is the flu vaccine.?
Valacak suspects the reason Swartz Creek may have closed their district is that when the decision was made, they did not yet know whether the infected student and staff member had viral or bacterial meningitis. The latter is a much more serious condition that is also contagious, but caused by bacteria and may result in hospitalization or even death. Vaccines are available to prevent several types of bacterial meningitis and are often recommended for teenagers and college students.
Outlaw said though health department officials counseled that viral meningitis has a very low risk, he simply did not feel comfortable having Brandon students play a game against a team from a district that had cancelled school that day.
‘For us, we are not going to put kids in a situation that might not be safe,? said Outlaw. ‘We felt taking extra time was in the best interest of our kids.?