Special advisory issued to control enteroviral meningitis

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health issued a special set of guidelines last weekend to all health sectors and institutions regarding the control, prevention, preparedness, and response to Enteroviral Meningitis, as the disease spreads across various regions, particularly around schools and community-based premises.

The comprehensive guideline package includes information on symptoms (suspected conditions), clinical diagnosis and classification, modes of transmission, treatment, control and prevention steps, public health habits, instructions for schools, sample collection and laboratory testing, clinical management, institutional and community-level control measures, and guidelines for festivals and community gatherings.

The Epidemiology Unit pointed out in these instructions that the disease primarily spreads rapidly among school children. While fever, headache, and vomiting serve as the main symptoms, the unit emphasized that meningitis conditions typically improve within seven days. The report noted that transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route through contaminated water, food, and unwashed hands, as well as through respiratory droplets when a patient coughs or sneezes, or through close contact, with symptoms surfacing three to seven days after exposure to the virus.

To control and prevent the disease, the guidelines highlighted the importance of thorough handwashing with soap and water, covering the mouth and nose with the inside of the elbow or a handkerchief/tissue when coughing or sneezing, avoiding close contact with individuals showing symptoms, and ensuring proper ventilation inside homes and buildings.

A team of specialists led by Chief Epidemiologist Specialist Doctor Palitha Karunaprema compiled these guidelines under instructions from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Mass Media.

Chief Epidemiologist Specialist Doctor Palitha Karunaprema issued this directive to cover the entire island, briefing all Provincial Directors of Health Services, Regional Directors of Health Services, Hospital Directors and Medical Superintendents, Provincial and District Consultant Community Physicians, Epidemiologists, and Medical Officers of Health.