Vol. 487 No. 6
215 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the outbreak of bacterial meningitis type C at a school (details supplied) in County Louth; the precise procedures which were followed in relation to notifying parents; if he will provide details of immunisation and the refusal of a request to close the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4913/98]
I have received a report from the North-Eastern Health Board in relation to the matter referred to by the Deputy. The report states that a schoolchild who was admitted to hospital on Thursday, 5 February was investigated and treated as a case of meningococcal meningitis. A second child, from the same school but from a different class, who was admitted to hospital on Monday, 9 February was also investigated and treated as a case of meningococcal meningitis. Both children responded well to treatment. Household and other close contacts were offered advice and chemoprophylaxis, as recommended in the report of the Working Group on Bacterial Meningitis and Related Conditions.
Both children were subsequently confirmed as definite cases of meningococcal meningitis group C. In keeping with the recommendations of the Working Group on Bacterial Meningitis and Related Conditions, and with international public health practice, vaccination was then offered to all pupils and staff in the school. Vaccination is not offered to all pupils in a class or school after a single case of group C infection, or where there are two cases of different strains.
The health board's report states that, after discussion with the principal of the school, it was decided to circulate letters to parents, informing them of the cases in children who were pupils at the school. An information meeting was also held in the school, addressed by the Acting Director of Community Care-Medical Officer of Health for County Louth, by a specialist in public health medicine and by an education officer of the Meningitis Research Foundation who had been invited to attend by the board. The purpose of the letters and the meeting was to inform parents of the situation, to provide information on meningococcal meningitis and to inform them of the board's plans in relation to the cases in the school. The health board has indicated that, as part of an awareness campaign, in January 1998 it arranged through all schools in its area, for the distribution to parents of an information leaflet about meningitis.
The Working Group on Bacterial Meningitis, which produced its report in January 1997, made detailed recommendations relating to improved procedures for the diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of meningitis. The report of the working group does not recommend closure of a school as a measure to deal with occurrences of meningitis. The working group has continued in existence to monitor the situation and to provide advice on the surveillance and control of meningitis as required. I have asked the working group to meet again shortly to consider whether there are any further measures or procedures required in the light of recent experience.
