PEA RIDGE — Nathaniel Jones is still in Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, but is steadily improving from the illness that struck him more than a week ago preventing his ability to speak.
Jones, 11, a student at Pea Ridge Middle School doesn’t have viral meningitis as was originally reported, said Chastity Jones Obersteadt, his mother.
Speaking from Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Obersteadt said her son has been diagnosed with “an auto-immune deficiency” and isn’t contagious.
She said he is in recovery, a process which will be “very, very slow.”
Rick Neal, Pea Ridge school superintendent, said on school officials were been notified on Tuesday, Oct. 2, by Health Department officials one of their students had viral meningitis. He immediately began the process of having the schools disinfected and notifying parents.
Principal Sue McElroy said the middle school is now the “cleanest school on campus,” after custodians disinfected the property.
Obersteadt said Nathaniel became ill two weeks ago with what appeared to be a cold and headache, then was sick at his stomach one day, and the next day he began to lose his ability to speak.
By Friday, Sept. 28, he had lost ability to walk and was taken to Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville then flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She said viralmeningitis was part of the original diagnosis, but has since been ruled out.
“The white blood cells continued to attack his body,” she said. “Now he has encephalitis (swelling of brain tissue).”
“He’s the oldest of four children,” she said, adding he’s an advanced student.
“His brain is what he is special for.”
A Facebook page - Nathaniel Jesse James Jones Recovery - has been established. Oberstaedt posts on there under her maiden name, Nikki Black, she said.
“He’s making serious progress,” Oberstaedt said Monday. “He’s very, very awake - for 10- to 12-hour days ... he still hasn’t spoken.”
“We’re in the most wonderful place,” she said, adding Nathaniel is opening his eyes and taking breaths on his own.
“I can’t tell you howtouched we are by the cards from the school and churches,” she said. “He’s a bright, beautiful child.
We’ve already seen a great recovery.”
Nathaniel will begin therapy this week.
Neal said because of privacy laws, school officials can’t discuss a student’s health issues and he hasn’t received notification from the Health Department recanting the diagnosis of viral meningitis. He said a bank account has been set up at Arvest Bank, Pea Ridge, for Nathaniel to help the family with expenses.
Ed Barham, public information officer with theArkansas Department of Health in Little Rock, said he’s not allowed to talk about individual cases, but said there are certain diseases required to be reported to the Center for Disease Control and the Department of Health.
“I think that the school is doing everything they’re supposed to. We’re not dealing with an outbreak of a highly contagious infectious disease. It (viral meningitis) is contagious, but it mainly affects people with weakened immune systems or the elderly,” Barham said.
“Viral meningitis is such a small, small risk,” he said.
News, Pages 1 on 10/10/2012