Unusual cluster of meningitis cases prompts warning to young adults to be vigilant

Meningitis is a serious illness involving inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, and can be caused by a variety of different germs, mainly bacteria and viruses.

Young adults have been urged to look out for signs of meningitis, as the HSE continues to investigate an unusual cluster of deaths linked to meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia.

While meningitis is more often associated with children aged under five, three of four cases under investigation are linked to young adults.