By Noah Haglund
REPORTED cases of viral meningitis on the island have risen to 57 so far this year, 51 of which in the Limassol district, the Health Department reported yesterday.
A student at the Soleas Gymnasium in Limassol was the latest to fall victim with a high fever and headache. Officials from the Health Department arrived on the scene to give advice on appropriate hygienic measures, but were unable to quell panic among parents and pupils, who abandoned the school.
Last year, Cyprus saw over 100 reported cases of the disease, a five-fold increase over 1999. Since the majority of infections occur during the summer months, this year’s total is likely to go even higher. However, one significant difference is that, during last year’s outbreak, the Health Department did not note any significant differences in rates of the disease across different geographical regions.
The department does not suspect contaminated water in Limassol district to be responsible for unusually high number of cases there, as some rumours have suggested.
“We believe it is spread from person to person,” the Health Department’s Senior Health Officer, Dr. Chrystalla Hadjianastassiou, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
Last week, Health Minister Frixos Savvides announced that the department was carrying out tests on the water supply in the Limassol district to detect possible links to this year’s outbreak.
“Up until now, we haven’t had any results that say there is any problem with the water,” confirmed Dr. Hadjianastassiou yesterday. “We are still waiting for additional results, but everything we have until now says that the water is OK.”
The department’s major weapon against the spread of enterovirus, which causes the disease, has been a publicity campaign.
“The primary advice is to observe personal hygiene after using the toilet and hand washing with hot water and soap before eating,” recommends Hadjianastassiou.
“It’s what we’ve said many times and will repeat it again and again.”
Other precautions include keeping the door handles of bathrooms clean and discouraging children from inserting items such as pencils into their mouths, as this can spread the infection.
In addition, glasses and cups should not be shared and those responsible for changing nursery children’s clothes that have been soiled should make sure they wash their hands between children. Hadjianastassiou also advises that windows be opened regularly to help maintain a clean and fresh environment.
“Although people thing it can’t happen to them, it can. We are all very sensitive to enterovirus action,” she warned.
Because people with very mild forms of viral meningitis would not even see a doctor, there are no reliable figures for the number of cases. However, the symptoms, including the sudden onset of intense headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and stiff neck, are similar to the more dangerous bacterial form. Someone with a severe case of viral meningitis will need to be admitted to hospital for test to find out which form they are suffering from.
