- GMOA expresses caution over crowds at public functions
Health authorities have urged the public to maintain strict hygiene practices and avoid crowded environments as Sri Lanka experiences a reported increase in enteroviral meningitis cases, particularly among school-aged children.
The first cases of enteroviral meningitis were reported from Deniyaya in the Matara District in April. According to the Ministry of Health, the disease has since been identified in the districts of Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, and Badulla as well.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health issued special instructions and health guidelines to health authorities and relevant institutions islandwide on Friday (29) to prevent and control the spread of the disease.
The guidelines included information on symptoms, clinical diagnosis, treatment procedures, sample collection, school- and community-level preventive strategies, and health precautions for public gatherings.
Epidemiological and environmental investigations also identified both cluster outbreaks and sporadic cases.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, the primary symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, and vomiting, which can emerge three to seven days after infection. Authorities further stated that patients generally made a full recovery within a week with proper medical treatment and advice.
Commenting on the situation, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Assistant Secretary Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya emphasised the need for public awareness and preventive measures, particularly given the large crowds.
“It is spreading through respiratory as well as oral routes, through food and saliva droplets. With the upcoming dansal season and crowd congestion, there is a higher risk,” he said.
Dr. Weerasuriya advised the public to exercise extreme caution in crowded areas and at public food distribution events, stressing that the illness could spread rapidly through close contact.
He further explained that meningitis could be caused by a variety of organisms, adding that the current situation appeared to involve a viral infection, which in many instances behaved similarly to a regular viral illness and generally subsided within a week with proper medical care.
The Ministry of Health has also encouraged the public to wash hands regularly with soap and clean water, cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoid close contact with symptomatic individuals, and ensure adequate ventilation in homes, schools, and workplaces.
Steps have been taken to brief the entire health sector, including all provincial and regional directors of health services, hospital directors, medical superintendents, district community physicians, and medical officers of health responsible for areas across Sri Lanka, to implement control measures.
According to the latest available data, around 200 meningitis cases had been reported from several parts of the country, with nearly 50 patients receiving treatment in hospitals across four districts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education issued guidelines to all provincial directors of education, based on instructions from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, outlining preventive measures to be implemented.