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Volume 32, Number 3—March 2026
Dispatch
Rapid Interventions to Limit Outbreak of Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in Correctional Facility, North Carolina, USA, 2024
, Emma Doran, Niketa D. Williams, Justin P. Albertson, Ty Lautenschlager, Sopio Chochua, Ryan Gierke, Arthur Campbell, Miwako Kobayashi, Aaron Fleischauer, and Erica Wilson
Table
Demographics and risk factors of pneumococcal infections by case classification among patients in correctional facility, North Carolina, USA, June 14–July 30, 2024*
| Category | Confirmed | Probable | Suspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total no. cases |
5 |
1 |
8 |
| Median patient age, y (range) |
42 (39–62) |
29 (NA) |
54.5 (30–68) |
| Race | |||
| Black or African American | 5 (100) | 1 (100) | 5 (62.5) |
| White |
0 |
0 |
3 (37.5) |
| Work status | |||
| None | 1 (20) | 0 | 2 (25) |
| Poultry plant | 2 (40) | 0 | 1 (12.5) |
| Other work† | 2 (40) | 1 (100) | 5 (62.5) |
| Current |
2 (40) |
0 |
NA |
| Smoking status‡ | |||
| Former | 2 (40) | 0 | NA |
| Never |
1 (20) |
1 (100) |
NA |
| Select signs and symptoms | |||
| Fever | 2 (40) | 1 (100) | 0 |
| Cough | 4 (80) | 1 (100) | 8 (100) |
| Radiograph-confirmed pneumonia | 5 (100) | 1 (100) | 0 |
| Clinical signs of sepsis | 4 (80) | 1 (100) | 0 |
| Lumbar puncture–confirmed meningitis |
1 (20) |
0 |
0 |
| Testing and treatment | |||
| Treated with antibiotics§ | 5 (100) | 1 (100) | 8 (100) |
| Positive culture from normally sterile site | 5 (100) | 0 | 0 |
| Hospitalized | 5 (100) | 1 (100) | 0 |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. NA, not applicable. †Other work includes custodial staff, kitchen, and municipal worker (any job except at the poultry plant), some of which occurred outside the correctional facility. ‡Smoking status was determined by medical record review. Records were only available to sufficiently review confirmed and probable cases. §Empiric treatment with antibiotics only. Postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis was not administered, but providers might have had a higher suspicion of pneumococcal disease after the outbreak began.