Opinion ID: 2160758
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: developments at west omaha day care

Text: A then 3-year-old girl enrolled at West Omaha Day Care, who last attended the facility on Friday, October 23, 1987, became ill with flu-like symptoms on Sunday, October 25, 1987. On Tuesday morning, October 27, the girl was examined in her pediatrician's office. Due to the girl's imbalance and weakness, her mother, a registered nurse, was concerned about the potential of a massive ear infection or meningitis. However, the girl's mother said that at that time we ruled out meningitis. On Wednesday, October 28, the girl was again taken to her pediatrician's office. While being examined, she began to suffer rigidity in her neck; the pediatrician who examined her believed she probably had meningitis and sent her to a hospital. Being familiar with the dangers of meningitis, the girl's mother was concerned about the children with whom the girl had had contact. Accordingly, the girl's mother called West Omaha Day Care on the 28th and informed the director that the girl was ill and was probably suffering from meningitis. The girl's mother testified that she called the director so that the director could alert the other parents. The next morning, the director called the girl's mother and inquired specifically whether the girl had viral or bacterial meningitis. The girl's mother told the director that was not yet known. Either later that same day or the next day, the director called the girl's mother a second time to determine how the girl was doing and to inquire about visiting. According to Lewis William White, the president of the corporation which owned and operated West Omaha Day Care, the director contacted the girl's mother and asked her when she found out or heard anything more to please let us know. When the girl's mother did not call back in the next couple of days, White asked the staff to call her again. According to White, the girl's father was reached by a staff member at the hospital on Friday, October 30. He said meningitis was still suspected but that the tests were not yet conclusive. The staff then asked the father to let them know as soon as possible, but received no further notification of the girl's condition. The girl's father, however, denies receiving the call White described. The county department had informed day-care facilities of the vaccines obtainable from various sources and made available a Haemophilus factsheet to be sent to parents. The county department also provided day-care facility operators with an informational packet prepared by the Centers for Disease Control of the U.S. Public Health Service entitled What You Should Know About Contagious Diseases in the Day Care Setting. It informs day-care facility operators how to respond to bacterial meningitis as follows: What to Do If one case of bacterial meningitis has occurred in your [facility]: Temporarily exclude the sick child from the [facility]. Contact the child's physician[.] Ask what germ caused the meningitis. Contact your Health Department. Tell them about the case of meningitis and the germ that caused it. Ask what actions they recommend to prevent spread of infection. Parents of all children in the [facility] should be informed that: They should know that their child may have been exposed to a serious contagious disease. Their child should see a physician IMMEDIATELY if he develops fever, headache, rashes, spots, unusual behavior or other symptoms of concern. They should know any other preventive measures the Health Department recommends. To STOP others from getting the disease: A child's doctor or your Health Department may recommend certain antibiotics for exposed children and adults to reduce their risk of getting bacterial meningitis. White acknowledged he had a copy of the publication in his possession at the time of the onset of the girl's disease and admitted he did not consult it until after the minor became ill.