TROY LOCAL 4 NEWS AT FIVE STARTS NOW. WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE OUTBREAK OF ILLNESS IS
IMPACTING SCHOOLS IN DETROIT,
BUT THERE ARE STILL MANY
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
DEATH OF A KINDERGARTNER. WE
KNOW THERE’S A LOT OF CONCERN
ABOUT THIS, AND WE WANT TO TAKE
YOU THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
RIGHT NOW. THANKS FOR BEING WITH
US, EVERYBODY. I’M KIMBERLY GILL
DEVIN SCILLIAN DOCTOR, FRANKLY,
GEORGE GOING TO BE HERE IN JUST
A MOMENT TO ANSWER SOME
QUESTIONS, BUT LET’S START WITH
THE NEWEST INFORMATION. WE KNOW
THERE ARE CONFIRMED ILLNESSES
THAT MARCUS GARVEY ACADEMY AND
THE FOCUS HOPE CENTER FOR
CHILDREN AND MAKING WOODS IS
LIVE AT FOCUS HOPE NEAR THE
LODGE AND THE DAVIDSON WALK US
THROUGH THE LATEST HERE, MEGAN
OKAY. WELL, DEVIN KIMBERLY, IT
IS STILL UNCLEAR WHAT ILLNESS
KILLED THAT KINDERGARTNER AT
MARCUS GARVEY ACADEMY. BUT WHAT
WE DO KNOW IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT
NOW. FOCUS. HOPE CENTER FOR
CHILDREN IS CLOSED DUE TO A
SPREAD OF THE HANDS, FOOT AND
MOUTH DISEASE. IN AN INTEREST OF
CAUTION. WE SHUT IT DOWN AND THE
KIDS HOME, THEY BEGIN TO FEEL
BETTER OVER A FEW SHORT DAYS,
AND IN THE MEANTIME, WE DO A
DEEP CLEANING HERE SO IT WON’T
SPREAD ANY FURTHER. PORSCHE
ROBERSON, CEO OF FOCUS, HOPE
SAYS THEY HAVE 17 CASES OF AN
ILLNESS, BUT IT’S NO MYSTERY
HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE,
WHICH IS SIMILAR. I WOULDN’T SAY
A COLD BUT SIMILAR TO WHAT WE
NORMALLY HAVE IN TERMS OF KIDS
GETTING SICK IN A CHILDCARE
CENTER. THEY LET THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT NO IN THE CENTER IS
CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY FOR D DEEP
CLEANING, BUT THE CEO SAYS THEIR
GUARD IS STILL UP FOR THIS OTHER
ILLNESS. ANYTIME YOU HEAR ABOUT
A CHILD PASSING AWAY AT WHATEVER
AGE BUT CERTAINLY A
KINDERGARTNER THAT THEY PROBABLY
CONTRACTED SOMETHING IN THEIR
SCHOOL, WE’RE GOING TO BE
CAREFUL. THIS IS THE ALERT
DETROIT HEALTH DEPARTMENT PUT
OUT TO OTHER HEALTH DEPARTMENTS
AND PROVIDERS WEDNESDAY, IT
STATES ON MONDAY THEY WERE
ALERTED ABOUT AN INFECTION AT AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. ONE CHILD HAD
FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS AND DIED ON
APRIL 26TH AND THAT THE MEDICAL
EXAMINER’S REPORT IS PENDING.
ANOTHER CHILD IS HOSPITALIZED IN
A THIRD CHILD WAS SEEN BY AN
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT BUT WAS
DISCHARGED ALERT ALSO MENTIONS
THAT DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED BY
A SECOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND
ARE MONITORING 25 CASES BETWEEN
BOTH SCHOOLS. IN HIS STATEMENT,
DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONFIRMED
IT WAS A KINDERGARTNER AT MARCUS
GARVEY ACADEMY THAT PASSED AWAY
IN THE SCHOOL IS CLOSED UNTIL
MONDAY FOR CLEANING. THEY HAVE
ALSO CONFIRMED THAT SECOND
SCHOOL IS NOT PART OF THEIR
DISTRICT. DETROIT HEALTH
DEPARTMENT THEN RELEASES A
STATEMENT NAMING MARCUS GARVEY
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUT NOT THAT
SECOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MENTIONED IN THE EARLIER ALERT.
AND TODAY, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
REFUSED TO COMMENT OR CLARIFY.
BUT AS FOR FOCUS HOPE CENTER FOR
CHILDREN, THEY SAY THEY SENT OUT
THE SYMPTOMS TO PARENTS IN CASE
CHILDREN DEVELOP THEM WHILE
THEY’RE AT HOME REPORTING LIVE
IN DETROIT, I’M MEGAN WOODS
LOCAL 4 NOW FOR MORE INSIGHT ON
THIS CURRENT SITUATION WE BRING
IN OUR DOCTOR, FRANKLY, GEORGIA
FROM THE INFORMATION THAT’S BEEN
PROVIDED. DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE
OF WHETHER THIS IS ALL FROM THE
SAME VIRUS OR EVEN BACTERIA?
WELL NOT REALLY. AT THIS POINT,
YOU KNOW FROM THE INFORMATION.
NATION THAT THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT IS WORKING. I’M SURE
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO
FIGURE THAT OUT. IT’S EASY TO
IMAGINE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT
WHAT’S BEEN DESCRIBED AS AN
OUTBREAK OF HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH
DISEASE, WHICH IS MOST OFTEN
CAUSED BY COXSACKIE VIRUS COULD
ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SYMPTOMS
OF NAUSEA, VOMITING OR ABDOMINAL
PAIN. COXSACKIE VIRUS. IT CAN
CAUSE ALL OF THAT. IT’S ALSO
VERY CONTAGIOUS, AND IT COULD BE
AT THE ROOT OF MANY OF THE
CASES. THE TWIST HERE THAT MAKES
ME WONDER IF THERE COULD BE A
SECOND ILLNESS INVOLVED IS THAT
ONE CHILD DIED AND IT’S STILL
COMPLETELY UNCLEAR. AND PERHAPS
UNKNOWN AT THIS POINT WHAT THAT
CAUSE OF DEATH WAS COXSACKIE
VIRUS IS LESS LIKELY BECAUSE IT
RARELY CAUSES DEATH. SO AT THIS
POINT, I WOULD SAY THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT STILL HAS A LOT OF
INVESTIGATION IN FRONT OF THEM.
GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY THAT’S
INVOLVED HERE. WE’RE ALL
SYMPATHETIC TO THE PLIGHT OF
PARENT IT’S UH, SCHOOLS RIGHT
NOW. ESPECIALLY THESE TWO
SCHOOLS. WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?
WELL THAT’S AN IMPORTANT POINT.
YOU KNOW IF YOUR SCHOOL NOTIFIED
YOU THAT YOUR CHILD MAY BE
INVOLVED IN ONE OF THESE
OUTBREAKS, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY
KEEP A CLOSER EYE ON THEM. AND
BECAUSE VIRUSES ARE VERY
CONTAGIOUS IN GENERAL, AND
ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS MAY
ULTIMATELY BECOME INVOLVED. IF
YOUR CHILD HAS ANY OF THE
SYMPTOMS THAT THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT IS WARNED ABOUT
SPECIFICALLY FEVER, HEADACHE,
LETHARGY, NAUSEA, VOMITING,
ABDOMINAL PAIN. YOU SHOULD KEEP
THEM OUT OF SCHOOL AND TALK TO
YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR ABOUT THEIR
SYMPTOMS. AND AGAIN, THESE TWO
SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR THE DEEP