ONE IN three adults know of someone who has contracted meningitis, a new survey has found.
The survey, carried out by the Meningitis Trust with Millward Brown IMS, found that 34,000 people have had viral or bacterial meningitis at some point in their lives.
Meningitis Trust manager Carole Nealon said the survey results suggested the true impact of meningitis was far greater than many people realised.
She said up to one million adults in Ireland knew of someone who had contracted the illness.
“That doesn’t mean they have read about it in a newspaper or seen something on television.
“It means relatives or friends, people they work with or people from their local community,” she said.
About 300 cases of bacterial meningitis are reported every year and there are more than twice as many cases of viral meningitis.
The Meningitis Trust’s 24-hour helpline can be contacted at 1800 523 196
