Today, there are rumors of five more people being hospitalized from nearby, some from Minerva, which sets right on the line of Carroll and Stark Counties in Ohio, and others from Akron, Steubenville, West Virginia, and other outlying areas. The Steubenville news, up until today, is the only local medium that has been delving into the possibility that this meningitis outbreak is a much bigger problem than health authorities are admitting. These cases are in addition to the three confirmed and one possible case already reported by local media. A few of those five cases are residents living in the rural area surrounding Alliance and some from areas in distant counties.

These rumors are still denied by health officials, but many residents report that they are a fact. The local health authorities state that they will be offering several school districts free meningitis vaccinations starting Friday. Many people do not realize that more than one county is affected. This outbreak is not just isolated to Stark County, as many newspapers and television news programs state. Now there are many counties-- six or seven-- being affected. There are suspected cases in patients living in Portage, Summit, Stark, Carroll, Columbiana, and even two or three counties in Southern Ohio and Northern West Virginia.

These counties are riddled with either confirmed cases of meningitis or suspected cases of the disease. The latest victim, a young girl hospitalized in Akron Children's Hospital was just confirmed by the CDC to have the same strain as the two teens who died last week. At this, residents are fearful and concerned.

These other cases mentioned above are not "only rumors" report many local residents. From one woman that wishes to remain nameless due to pressure on health employees from hospitals and health authorities, this author learned that many patients in local hospitals are suspected of having meningitis. This woman and other hospital employees at nearby hospitals have personally witnessed the patients experiencing the severe flu-like symptoms.

Due to the intense efforts by local health officials to keep the level of panic low in resident's minds, many hospital employees fear for their jobs, keeping most quiet. But not all, some are worried and speaking out. If the local media would do some hard-hitting investigative reporting, they would find much of this out with relative ease. This is not idle gossip like the newspapers and local television stations are reporting, and many of the local people know it. This is a very small area. When you know someone whose cousin is being treated or a friend who has a child in the hospital, word travels fast. The patients referred to in this article are "suspected" cases only, but this still has the small community reeling.

In addition to the already three confirmed cases, and possible fourth person that the media is referring to of late, it is these new "possible" cases that are worrying many area residents. But what is upsetting them even more people are the vehement protests from health officials that there are other sick people hospitalized and under watch. These sick individuals are being observed, and they have high fevers and flu symptoms. Many are afraid that there is a much bigger problem here at work than local health officials are revealing.

Entering Carrollton, the county seat of Carroll County, there is an eerie calm which fills the rural countryside, and at the Waynesburg grocery store, which is ten minutes from Minerva, residents are filling their carts much the same as before an impending blizzard. People are stockpiling. The stores are overflowing with people at 11:00 on a Wednesday afternoon, yet all restaurants and gas stations are barren. All church, community, and school programs have been cancelled until further notice. People are not going out unless it is absolutely necessary.

Another topic of discussion at the local stores, post offices and various meeting places is the worry over mosquitoes. In these heavily wooded areas that are surrounded by dozens of lakes, there is a potential for a major outbreak. Why? Any communicable disease can be spread by blood contact, so if a mosquito that recently has bitten an infected person bites a healthy person, the disease can be spread. While it may not be probable, it certainly is possible, even if local health officials are telling people not to worry about this possibility. When questioned, a health spokesperson on the recently provided toll free information line revealed that yes, it is possible for the disease to spread from an insect bite, but very unlikely.

The distrust of government and medical authorities also surfaces when the similarity between meningitis symptoms and those of the West Nile virus are so apparent. It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to realize that there could be something much more deadly lurking in N.E. Ohio than the suspected bacterial meningitis. There have been several reports of the West Nile virus in neighboring Pennsylvania, which is only forty minutes from the area under seige by this scary illness. Residents of N.E. and East Central Ohio are concerned that they are being "handled" by authorities, in an attempt to quell the public outcries and panic.

With the symptoms of both diseases so alike (severe headache, high fever, back and neck pain, and rash), many people are afraid and skeptical of the blanket answers being given them by the new meningitis hotline, which was set up by the Stark County Health Department today, are simply lip service, attempting to quiet the masses. With the fierce mosquitoes here, residents are scared, especially since the local media is not even investigating these similarities to the West Nile Virus. Should the residents of N.E. Ohio simply accept what the local health officials are feeding the media, or should they continue to dig deeper for answers that could save their lives?

Copyright Katherine West 2001

ADDITIONAL INFO:
I reported this story at 11:00 a.m. on June 6th. Now at 11:00 p.m., twelve hours later, the Cleveland news stations are finally catching up. So far, only one local TV station has the guts to dig deeper. The others are still wearing blinders. Read about the new cases from WKYC, their revelations are below:
http://www.wkyc.com/news/morelocal/stark/010606newcases.ssf