BOSTON (WHDH) - A young Boston boy is on the road to recovery after being diagnosed with a rare but serious infectious disease.
Kimberly Cook took her 20-month-old son Lucas to the emergency room at Boston Children’s Hospital last week, where doctors diagnosed him with meningococcal disease — an infectious disease that is caused by a bacterial infection.
“It was extremely scary,” Cook said. “Within an hour, everything had changed. He had developed this purple rash all over his body.”
Lucas was put on a ventilator but doctors removed it on Monday.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Public Health Commission issued a health advisory last Wednesday after Lucas and another child in Boston contracted the disease.
Both cases have been associated with Horizons for Homeless Children daycare centers specializing in serving children who have experienced homelessness — thought it’s unclear if the two cases are connected.
City officials noted that all individuals who are known to have been in contact with the kids have been identified and received antibiotics as a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of further infection.
Health officials say the disease is spread from person to person through saliva, requiring close contact with infected individuals. Time from exposure to developing symptoms is between one to 10 days.
Symptoms develop rapidly and include nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, and altered mental status or confusion.
Meningococcal disease has become less common in recent years, with between 10 to 15 reported cases statewide each year. There are several different forms of meningococcal disease, including infection of the blood and infection of the brain and spinal cord, known as meningitis.
Early detection and initiation of antibiotics for suspected meningococcal disease is critically important.
Any resident with questions about meningococcal disease can call BPHC at (617) 534-5611.
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