A meningitis research group has warned parents to beware of the signs of the deadly disease after one girl died and another is left seriously sick following an outbreak in Navan.
Both girls were students at Scoil Mhuire in the town, and they were hospitalised on Thursday when their symptoms became clear. Students were sent home from school as a precaution, and parents and teachers will receive consular support from the HSE in the coming weeks.
A public health investigation into the breakout is currently ongoing.
The Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) has expressed their condolences to the family, and offered a warning to parents about the rapid-acting virus.
Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. It shares many of the symptoms of other, more common, everyday illnesses such as the flu or even a hangover. As a result it is vital that your readers are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease, particularly the symptoms that are more unique to meningitis.
"Because meningitis develops so quickly, it can be a particularly devastating disease for those affected," stated a spokesperson for MRF.
"It can also have a resounding effect on the surrounding community.
"Parents should be reassured that most cases of meningitis and septicaemia are isolated. The bacteria that can cause the disease cannot live longer than a few moments outside the human body, so they are not carried on things like clothes or toys. People usually need to be in close or prolonged contact for the bacteria to pass between them. Even when this happens, most people do not become ill because they have natural immunity."
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