THE immediate establishment of a disease surveillance centre to monitor meningitis has been called for by the Fianna Fail spokesman on health, Mr Brian Cowen.
It follows the death of a teenage boy in Cork city last week from suspected meningococcal meningitis and the hospitalisation of two babies attending a creche in Co Wicklow, who are suspected to be suffering from the infection.
To date this year there have been 163 cases of meningitis and 14 deaths, one less than the number of deaths for all of last year.
The babies, aged 10 months and 13 months, were taken to Harcourt Street Children's Hospital for treatment last week. Staff and children at the creche were offered vaccination and preventative antibiotic therapy.
The teenage boy died in Cork University Hospital last Tuesday after battling the illness for two weeks.
Mr Cowen said he is concerned at the dramatic increase in the number of cases of meningitis; "1997 looks set to be the worst year ever for meningitis cases, compounding the threefold increase in meningitis over the last five years.
The Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, has said he accepts the need for such a centre to "provide a comprehensive broad-based approach to the prevention of disease". However, he did not expect it would be established until next year. The Department is currently considering the "organisational and structural issues".
Mr Cowen also called for a more proactive information campaign by the health promotion unit of the Department to combat meningitis.
Meningococcal disease takes two forms, according to Dr Brian O'Herlihy, the Eastern Health Board's director of public health. The more common presentation initially resembles the viral flu illness, with symptoms such as headache, vomiting, fever, aches and pains and sore throat.
It progresses to more serious symptoms such as sensitivity to bright light, neck stiffness, confusion, drowsiness and even coma. "A very important sign to watch out for is the development of a rash," said Dr O'Herlihy. "This may start as just one or two tiny pink spots anywhere in the body. Then the spots turn into tiny bruises which do not turn white when you touch them."
Parents should be alert to those symptoms and contact their family doctor as early as possible.