Meningococcal meningitis claims two lives in Meghalaya

Shillong, Mar 25 (UNI) The dreaded meningococcal meningitis has claimed two lives and affected nine others in Meghalaya, Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr K H Lakiang said today.

'' Two persons have died of symptoms similar to that of meningitis, and nine were confirmed to have been suffering from the disease,'' he told UNI here.

Dr Lakiang said most of the patients showing symptoms like fever, rashes, sore throat and cold were admitted to hospitals across the state from Jaintia Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts.

'' We have collected blood samples from patients and sent it to the National Institute of Communicable Disease in New Delhi to verify it,'' he informed.

Earlier, Dr Lakiang had said that 53 suspected cases of meningogiococal-meningitis had been detected by health experts across the state.

Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Adviser Pariong appealed to the people not to panic.

''Meningococcal meningitis is not rare and occurs seasonally between January and April and is very much preventable,'' he said.

The minister, however, asked the people ''not to keep close contact with the affected person as it is transmittable.'' Meningitis is an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. A full cure is possible if the disease is detected in time.

Bacterial meningitis can be treated with several effective antibiotics, provided the treatment is started early in the course of the disease.

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