The death of a McGraw-Hill employee on March 2 was indeed caused by meningitis, the state Department of Health confirmed this week.
By:Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR The state Department of Health confirmed Wednesday that the death of McGraw-Hill employee Hemet Savant on March 2 was indeed caused by meningitis. Mr. Savant’s death led to a massive immediate voluntary medication of employees at the McGraw-Hill facility on Route 571 here.
"We got the confirmation this morning from the state Department of Health that it was meningitis," noted East Windsor Health Officer Jeff Plunkett.
The state reported that Mr. Savant, 28, of East Windsor, had neisseria meningitis, a relatively noncontagious type of meningitis significantly less contagious, for example, than spinal meningitis.
About 590 employees at McGraw-Hill received an oral antibiotic against meningitis on the afternoon of March 2. The East Windsor Health Department at first offered the antibiotic to the 50 to 75 employees in Mr. Savant’s general working group, and McGraw-Hill offered to underwrite that precaution for anyone at the facility who wanted it, Mr. Plunkett said.
"It’s certainly well under control," Mr. Plunkett added. "McGraw-Hill was extremely cooperative; we handled it from our end, and I think it’s been addressed very, very well."
Meningitis is an infection cause by bacteria, Mr. Plunkett said. He described the risk to others as "very, very remote, very, very small." Although it is contagious, he noted that transmission of the disease requires prolonged exposure or close personal contact such as kissing or sharing of utensils or drinking containers. He said the first symptoms of meningitis are nausea, fever, cold-type symptoms and a body rash. The rash could appear anywhere. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact their primary care physician, Mr. Plunkett said. "Early treatment is very important."
Mr. Savant died at about 9 a.m., Mr. Plunkett reported. "He was taken into Princeton Medical Center by the EMT unit and he expired at the medical center." He was picked up at his East Windsor home and taken to the medical center by an EMT unit from East Windsor.
After conferring with state health officials, Mr. Plunkett ordered the administering of the antibiotics, which was done in about two hours by East Windsor public health nurses.
On March 2, state health officials were almost certain that meningitis was the cause of Mr. Savant’s death, though confirmation of the diagnosis came much later, Mr. Plunkett said.