WASH your hands or risk being part of an epidemic of viral meningitis, was the gist of the message from the public health department yesterday.
With 99 cases of the highly contagious disease recorded this year up till yesterday morning (88 of them in Limassol), public health officer Dr Panayiota Protopapa warned that only strict observance of personal hygiene measures could prevent an epidemic erupting this summer.
The main symptoms of viral meningitis, which is nowhere near as dangerous as the sometimes deadly bacterial form of the disease, are a high fever and headaches.
New cases of viral meningitis are currently cropping up at the rate of one a day.
“It is not an epidemic at the moment, but I would say that the increased occurrence over the last few weeks suggests we are on the edge of an epidemic,” Dr Protopapa said. She said high summer temperatures favoured the spread of the meningitis virus.
“But the human factor can still intervene to prevent an epidemic,” the medic said. There is nothing complicated or scientific about the anti-meningitis measures recommended by the department: “It is about personal hygiene measures, washing hands and strictly using only your own personal implements, like eating implements,” Protopapa said.
The Health Ministry first issued a viral meningitis warning in April this year, saying the number of cases of the contagious disease in the first three months of 2001 was double that of the same period last year.
To prevent spread of the virus through personal contact, people are advised to observe strict rules of personal hygiene and general cleanliness.
The ministry urges that hands be washed regularly, eating utensils never be shared, underwear be changed daily, babies nappies be changed well away from food preparation areas, the mouth be covered when coughing and the hands washed immediately afterwards, that children be discouraged from hugging or kissing others and especially non family members and that pregnant mothers avoid contact with sufferers.
Health officials also say a diluted chlorine-based cleaner should be used for house cleaning, homes should be kept well aired, rubbish taken out regularly, bedclothes changed regularly and outdoor areas kept litter-free. The ministry also advises that crowded places be avoided, especially where young children are concerned.
Last year, there was a five-fold increase in the number of suffering from meningitis, though the vast majority of cases was not life threatening. There were 134 incidents in total, but more than three quarters were viral – the others bacterial, of which only four were meningococcal, one of the most dangerous types. In December last year, the Health Ministry said the rise in meningitis cases was not down to any particular reason and was not a cause for serious concern.
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