Limerick East): My Department has been keeping in close contact with the Eastern Health Board about the cases of meningitis referred to in the parliamentary question. Three children, who attended a crêche, have been admitted to Temple Street Hospital with a diagnosis of bacterial meningitis.
The Eastern Health Board which has statutory responsibility under the infectious diseases regulations for the investigation and management of infectious diseases, informed my Department that the crêche consists of three sections — a nursery section, a pre-school section and a Montessori section.
When the first case — that of an infant — was notified on 23 January 1995, the other infants in the section, their family contacts and staff members were given the relevant preventive antibiotics. My Department has been informed by the health board that the children in the other sections were not given the preventive antibiotics at that stage on the basis that the nursery was a self-contained section separate from the other sections.
The board has also indicated to my Department that the parents of the infants who were in contact with the first case of the disease, were informed immediately after the notification of this case.
Following the notification of the second case of bacterial meningitis on 27 January 1995, in a child attending the Montessori section, the board informed the parents of the other children attending the crêche and provided the appropriate course of preventive treatment with antibiotics to all of these children, their family contacts and staff.
The crêche has closed temporarily, since Friday, 27 January 1995, for a period of ten days and will reopen if there are no further cases.
