Now 13 people struck down with killer meningitis

TWO more people have been diagnosed with meningitis – bringing the toll to 13 cases since Christmas Eve.

The HSE said the infected people were notified from the end of December to this week.

Three people have died of the dangerous bacteria during the same time.

The spike has led to warnings to parents to be alert for symptoms and reminders to ensure that children who are eligible for vaccines are up to date with their jabs.

The Department of Health has again confirmed it will not be extending the vaccine to protect against the B strain of meningitis to older children. The C strain was involved in two recent cases, but none of the deaths.

It will remain confined to children born since October 2016 in keeping with the guidelines from its advisory group, which says this form of the disease mainly affects infants.

The HSE said there is currently no outbreak and one person did not pick it up from another.

“Meningococcal disease has an expected higher incidence in winter and early spring,” it said. “Anyone who is concerned about symptoms should ensure that prompt medical attention is sought.”

There were 89 cases in 2018 and 76 in 2017. The three recent deaths were believed to be due to the meningitis W strain. Meningitis W infections are associated with severe illness. The Men ACWY vaccine can be purchased privately.