Rhode Island Department of Health

Health Advisory
January 3, 2007, 4 p.m.
Pneumonia Related Illness Surveillance Guidance for School Nurse Teachers

Background

Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) is investigating an outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Two students at Greenwood Elementary School in Warwick who had encephalitis were determined by CDC to have a Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection that was the “probable” cause of their illness. HEALTH provided prophylactic antibiotics (primarily azithromycin) to students, staff and immediate family members of Greenwood School . On January 2, the CDC classified mycoplasma as the “probable” cause of a case of encephalitis at Deering Middle School in West Warwick . Officials are also investigating reports of higher than normal absenteeism in November and December 2006 related to pneumonia at Black Rock Elementary and Oak Haven Elementary in Coventry.

Surveillance

HEALTH officials are interested in knowing if other schools are currently seeing more than the usual number of cases of pneumonia. School nurse teachers are being asked to report cases of pneumonia to HEALTH on a daily basis using the attached form. The criteria for reporting are as follows:

1. Documented physician confirmed pneumonia (phone or written information from physician).
2. Documented chest x-ray confirmed pneumonia (phone or written information from physician).
3. Parent report of either of the above.

Please update this form and fax daily to (401) 222-2488 or 222-2477 or 222-2478. If your school is already involved in a detailed surveillance investigation you do not need to participate until you are requested to. If you have questions about this reporting process, please call HEALTH’s Center for Epidemiology at (401) 222-2577.

FAQs

If there is a reported case of mycoplasma pneumonia, do I need to notify all parents/families in the school?
No, parents do not need to be notified.

If a student is being treated with antibiotics, when can they return to school?
Students may return to school once they begin antibiotic treatment and have approval of the treating physicians.

Who can I call with clinical questions?
Call 1-800-942-7434 and asked to be transferred to the Incident Medical Director.

For more information on mycoplasma, see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/mycoplasmapneum_t.htm.

For the most current Rhode Island information, call 1-800-942-7434 (Family Health Information Line) or visit http://www.health.ri.gov.