A number of parents have taken their children from an Irish college in Co Galway because of an outbreak of meningitis. Three teenagers in hospital, all students at Colaiste Lurgan, Inverin, Co Galway, were described yesterday as responding well to treatment.
According to Dr Gerry Fogarty, a specialist in public health medicine with the Western Health Board, the situation is being closely monitored. He said the school, local GPs and owners of the homes where the students are staying have all been asked to be vigilant. The board has been very active in the area and notified people of the symptoms of the disease. Leaflets have been distributed at the school and in Inverin.
"We have got a lot of calls from people seeking reassurance. This particular course was due to finish on Saturday and some parents have come and taken their children away," said Dr Fogarty, who has done extensive research into meningitis.
The three students in hospital are two 13-year-old boys from Co Kilkenny and a teenage girl from Connemara. On Sunday afternoon four young people attending the college were brought to the hospital with similar symptoms. One, a cousin, was found not to have the virus. Dr Fogarty said that the teenagers had been treated with penicillin by local doctors prior to being brought to hospital. He said that meningitis was generally a winter illness but it was not unusual for it to occur during the summer months. "That three cases would occur in the one house is a bit unusual. But we had two in a class in Galway around a year ago and a third case that was somewhat related."
It was not possible to explain why these three teenagers had become ill, he said. The meningitis bug was carried by one in 10 people in the back of their throats and that figure could be as high as 25 per cent in young adults. "These people may have been more susceptible to it or the bug may be more virulent. However, that is guess work because we simply do not know."
He said that at present the outbreak in the house was not connected to Colaiste Inverin. The outbreak was confined to the house in which there would have been far more contact. Preventative antibiotics were given to up to 12 close contacts, mostly other people in the house. It was confirmed yesterday that the teenagers had type C of the disease, for which there is a vaccine, and the close contacts were due to be vaccinated yesterday evening.
Dr Fogarty said that in the past meningitis was associated with people living in close quarters to each other and this situation often existed with students attending summer colleges. He pointed out, though, that conditions in the house where the students were staying were not as crowded as in some cases. "The weather has not been great and they have probably been indoors a lot. According to the local doctors, there are a lot of colds about and that may have made people more susceptible."
A new set of pupils is due in Inverin next week and Dr Fogarty said there was no reason at present on public health grounds to indicate that the school should be closed or that students should be kept away next week. "That is based on our current position and if things change we will notify people."
Symptoms of meningitis include severe headaches, drowsiness and confusion, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, frequent vomiting and fever. Bacterial meningitis is often accompanied by septicaemia (blood poisoning), causing a rash. A Western Health Board helpline number has been set up: 1800 62221.