Friday, 16th May 2008 - 14:56CET

Updated: Meningitis case - no cause for alarm

(Adds University statement)

The Health Department said this afternoon that it had been notified about a meningitis case affecting a University student. It said it had taken the normal actions in such cases and there was no cause for alarm.

The University said that as soon as it was informed by the Health Department that one of its students had been admitted to Mater Dei Hospital suffering from Meningitis, all those who were likely to have been in contact with this student in the last few days were called to a meeting with a doctor from the Infectious Diseases Section of the Health Department.

He informed those present that the type of Meningitis in this case was not of the most severe and that the student was already feeling much better.

It was explained that the risk of infection was significant only for those who were in very close contact with the student - perhaps studying at the same table in a closed environment.

The Health Department informed the University that there was no cause for alarm.

Comments

A Abela (on 18/5/08)

it is still a disgrace that the course has not yet been revealed

N. Grima (on 18/5/08)

I for one find it especially discomforting that the course has not be revealed! @ L Brincat... The number of hours students spend together depends on their course. Some courses barely have lectures (esp. last years undergraduate or graduate courses) - others have quite packed weeks (e.g. my last semester had 32h/week... and can go up to 50h/week). Others have poorly planned timetables - e.g. two years ago I had two days having lectures from 8am to 6pm straight w/o breaks, and two "free" days (read "trying to decipher the previous day's notes made by a zombie version of myself). --- Glad the kid's doing well though. Most of us aren't too happy on how the situation was handled though.

Stephen Piccinino (on 18/5/08)

@Mr Zammit In a separate article on the timesofmalta.com website, the student diagnosed with meningitis is described as possessing the bacterial type.

Valhmor A. Zammit (on 18/5/08)

We haven't been told wether this was a case of viral or bacterial meningitis. It is the latter that usually kills or maims persons while patients usually make a complete recovery from the former. Most fatal cases have been caused by Meningococcus type B against which there is no vaccine. The vaccine available is against Meningococcus types ACWY. Administering the latter would thus confer a false sense of security!

Gretel Ohayon (on 17/5/08)

I have compared the Malta National Immunisation Service to that of the UK. In Malta the Meningococcus Group C and Pneumococcal (PCV) vaccinations are excluded from the immunisation programme for infants. Can someone tell me why as I think it is a concern for parents with young children, Why not eliminate risks when you can!!

Andrew Stafrace (on 17/5/08)

Can someone tell me, how many uni students are infected by meningites every year? As I keep on hearing the same identical scenarios all over again.

Jennifer Cosaitis (on 17/5/08)

Mr/Ms A Abela, I believe a press release proves to be much better than hearsay in the case in question because it would only have resulted in further panic from the students, especially with exams starting next week.

L Brincat (on 16/5/08)

There was no cause for alarm because to inherit meningitis you need to be in direct contact (i.e. near the infected source) in the same room for about a minimum of 6 hours. I don't think that the majority students attending the same lessons spent 6 hours straight with the infected person.

I think the press release was issued to assure university students who did not know the aforementioned facts and think that who was near this student got infected.

A Abela (on 16/5/08)

May i ask why a press release was issue if there is no cause of alarm?
What is the university course in question

C Borg (on 16/5/08)

Unfortunately, vaccinations are still confined to the test tubes in research labs..... but on the positive side, many are on the endeovour to find one and why one is affected in such a harmful way and the other remains unscatched is still a mystery.

Gianfranco Spiteri (on 16/5/08)

I am a public health doctor. There are no vaccines for the most common type of Bacterial meningitis we have in Malta (Meningococcal meningitis group B).

PAUL FAVA (on 16/5/08)

In my opinion meningitis is a nasty disease. I wish there was much more awareness about it.....and above all about the vaccinations available to prevent it.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, July 6, 2008. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Updated: Meningitis case - no cause for alarm

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