Health board gets hundreds of calls in meningitis scare

UP TO 350 calls have been received by the Eastern Health Board after a two year old child, who had been at the Superquinn playhouse on Sundrive Road, Dublin, last week, developed meningitis.

The affected child had been at the playhouse on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24th and 25th, and the EHB wanted to contact about 100 children who attended the playhouse while their parents were shopping.

A health board doctor was at Superquinn all day yesterday and members of the Meningitis Trust handed out leaflets.

Dr Darina O'Flanagan, a specialist in communicable diseases with the EHB, said the disease, meningococcal meningitis, was not very infectious and that it was highly unlikely a second case would occur among children who attended the playhouse.

A spokeswoman for the health board said that where transmission did occur it normally required up to four hours' contact at least. On average, children spent between 45 minutes and an hour at the playhouse.

The health board had decided to alert parents "purely as a precautionary measure", and they were not now offering antibiotics unless specifically requested, as this was felt to be unnecessary.

It had been reported that the health board would be offering antibiotics to children who had been at the playhouse while the diagnosed child attended.

More than 300 calls received at the supermarket were referred to the health board. Mr Eamon Quinn of Superquinn said they were "very, very concerned" and had been "shaken" by the news. While the likelihood of infection was low they had decided to be "as cautious as we can".

The health board wished to alert parents to symptoms of the disease as a precaution. In babies these can include loss of appetite, irritability, a high pitched cry, vomiting, drowsiness and unresponsiveness.

About 10 per cent of the population carries the meningitis bacteria without ill effects, and it is believed the sick child was probably infected by a healthy carrier. Symptoms in adults are similar to flu, and can include headaches, vomiting, fever, aches, pains and a sore throat.

As the disease progresses, patients experience sensitivity to bright lights, neck stiffness, confusion or delirium, drowsiness, unresponsiveness and coma. A key sign is a rash which can start as one or two small pink spots anywhere on the body. These turn into bruises, which do not turn white when touched.