Michigan health authorities seek rave party attendees exposed to meningitis

LANSING, Michigan (CNN) -- Michigan health authorities Thursday sought as many as 1,000 people who attended a "rave party" last weekend and sucked on an Ecstasy-soaked pacifier that may have been exposed to a potentially fatal strain of meningitis.

Department of Community Health spokeswoman Geralyn Lasher said a young woman who went to the party is recovering in the hospital from meningococcal meningitis.

Health officials fear the disease may have been passed among the partygoers when many of them shared a pacifier that had been dipped in the drug Ecstasy.

	RESOURCES
Read the DCH News Release

"When people use Ecstasy, they want to clench and grind their teeth, so they will often use a pacifier to chew on," Lasher said.

The young woman who developed the disease also had a "considerable amount of close contact" with many others at the party, the statement said, but she was unable to identify all of those people.

Dr. David Johnson, the head of the Department of Community Health, said it's vital that all the people who attended the event be treated with antibiotics to prevent meningitis.

"Many of those in attendance may not have told their parents about the party," he said in a statement. "However, it is crucial that they realize the possible consequences of not seeking follow-up care."

The rave party was held sometime between August 18-20 in western Michigan, near Hoags Lake in Mason County.

Lasher said the department put a notice concerning the meningitis exposure on its own Web site, as well as on a Web site that had promoted the rave party.

Officials were also contacting nearby universities, doctors, local health departments and local media.

Symptoms of meningitis include a sudden fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion and sometimes a rash.

Ecstasy can cause deep depression, anxiety and paranoia, according to the health department statement. It can also increase the heart rate and body temperature and raise blood pressure.

Some studies have shown it can cause long-term brain damage and memory impairment, even after a single dose, the statement said.

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Michigan Department of Community Health
Meningococcal Disease - General Information

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