Vaccinations campaign cuts meningitis cases

A SIGNIFICANT drop in meningitis cases is being attributed to an immunisation campaign launched two years ago.

With a total of 19 deaths in meningococcal group C cases over the previous three years, no fatalities were recorded in 2002.

Health board figures throughout the country showed an average 73% uptake of a meningitis C vaccine, up 5% on 2001.

The highest immunisation uptake was in the Midlands Regional Health Board, with 80%, while the Eastern Regional Health Authority reported a 68% uptake.

Junior Health Minister Brian Lenihan said the statistics underlined the positive impact of the Meningitis C vaccine introduced in 2000 by Minister Micheál Martin.

At the launch yesterday of an awareness campaign by the Meningitis Research Foundation, Mr Lenihan warned families could not afford to become complacent about the disease.

The foundation's awareness campaign will continue throughout February, with symptoms awareness packs available free at health board offices and pharmacies.

Provisional figures from the National Disease Surveillance Centre showed 274 cases of bacterial meningitis were recorded last year.

The figures represent a dramatic reduction in the group C disease the number of cases fell by 90% over the figures for 2000.

The largest reduction was 100% in five-to-nine-year-olds, with an 86% reduction in toddler cases.

Urging vigilance, Mr Lenihan said the public could not become complacent about meningitis and septicaemia.

He warned there was no effective vaccine for meningitis group B, which accounted for the vast majority of meningococcal disease notifications in Ireland last year.

Evelyn Dooley of the Meningitis Research Foundation said the voluntary organisation was funding 39 research projects on the disease at a cost of 8m.

"We are asking people to be particularly vigilant during the winter months," she said.

Foundation's helpline: 1890 41 43 44