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Swain County health report: three child fatalities from 2024 reviewed; several communicable diseases rose
Summary
County health staff reported that three child fatalities from 2024 were reviewed by the child fatality review committee; the health presentation also flagged increases in encephalitis, hepatitis and several other communicable diseases in 2025. The board approved the committee's report.
A Swain County health representative, identified in meeting materials as Allison, presented the child fatality review committee’s report for 2024 and highlighted trends in the county’s 2025 communicable‑disease data.
Allison told commissioners the committee reviewed three child fatalities from 2024: one child with a prolonged history of chronic illness, a second infant born extremely premature (about 21 weeks), and a third infant who drowned during a boating incident in which a life jacket became trapped under the vessel. She described the committee’s findings and the recommendation to accept the reviewed reports; commissioners moved to approve the child‑fatality reports as presented.
Allison also summarized communicable‑disease figures for 2025 included in a spreadsheet packet: encephalitis increased to three cases (from one the year before), hepatitis cases rose to 35 (from 14), Lyme disease rose to four (from zero), campylobacter totaled 12 cases with no identified epidemiologic link among them, syphilis 13 and chlamydia 32. Commissioners and staff briefly discussed prevention outreach and the health department’s past distribution programs (car seats vs. life jackets) and approved the budget packet items that rely on signature for administrative completion.
Next steps: Commissioners said the committee’s reports would be handled in the regular session for a formal approval signature and asked staff to continue communicable‑disease surveillance and report updates as needed.
