Three Galway teenagers who have contracted meningococcal meningitis were being kept under close observation in the city's University Hospital last night. A hospital spokeswoman described their condition as "ill".
The three, two 13-year-old boys from Co Kilkenny and a teenage girl from Connemara, were all students at Colaiste Lurgan at Inverin, Co Galway, and had been staying at the same house.
On Sunday afternoon four young people attending the college were brought to the hospital for tests. One was found not to have the virus.
Dr Deirdre Anderson, a senior area medical officer with the Western Health Board, said last night that the first of the four teenagers had been brought to hospital at 3 o'clock on Sunday with the last being brought in at 10.30 p.m.
All had similar symptoms, but one girl was found to be clear of the disease. She was discharged yesterday. The other three are "recovering".
Dr Anderson emphasised that the matter had been dealt with "very promptly." "Not many more" than 10 people, who had had "close household contact" with the three affected teenagers, were given drugs yesterday to help stave off possible infection, she said.
People at Colaiste Lurgan and Inverin had been advised to be vigilant, which was "very important" she said.
Yesterday Western Health Board staff inoculated at least 10 people who had had recent contact with the teenagers, and distributed leaflets at Colaiste Lurgan and in Inverin. These advised people on symptoms and vigilance.
A spokeswoman for the health board said last night that action in the case had been "extremely prompt" and doctors were satisfied everything was under control. She said the three teenagers were doing well.
"All is well," she added.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane lining the brain and spinal cord, and is caused by either viral or bacterial infection. At any one time 10 per cent of the population will carry the bacterium which causes the disease, while in the young adult population that figure can be as high as 25 per cent.
In recent years, there has been a more than twofold increase in the incidence of the disease in Ireland: there were 203 reports in 1993 compared with 447 by November of last year.
Symptoms include severe headache, drowsiness and confusion, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, frequent vomiting and fever.
Bacterial meningitis is often accompanied by septicaemia (blood poisoning). This is the severest form of the disease and its symptoms can include a rash which begins as tiny red pin-prick marks which develop into purple bruises or blood blistering.
Other indicators of this form of the disease include very cold hands and feet, rapid breathing, pains in the limbs, joints, muscles and stomach, difficulty walking or standing, frequent vomiting, fever, and loss of consciousness.
The recovery rate is high, with nine out of every 10 people diagnosed with it surviving the disease.
