Meningitis Takes Two Lives
By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net

In the past two weeks, meningitis has taken the lives of two people in Costa Rica , where eight cases of the illness have been reported, Vice-Minister of Public Health Delia Villalobos told The Tico Times yesterday.

Four cases of m eningococcal meningitis, a contagious infection caused by the meningococcus bacteria, emerged among employees of a company at the Global Park industrial complex in the province of Heredia, north of San José. One of them, Jeremías Bravo, a 26-year-old employee of the medical equipment manufacturer Delroyal Scientific, died Feb. 27 at the public San Vicente de Paúl Hospital in Heredia, according to Costa Rican dailies.

Another form of meningitis caused by the Haemophilus influenzae bacteria took the life of José Gerardo Carranza, 28, in the province of Alajuela , northwest of San José , on March 3, the daily La Nación reported.

Three other cases emerged in the central Pacific port city of Quepos , in the Caribbean slope town of Guápiles , and in San José 's Hatillo neighborhood.

Meningitis causes inflammation of the membranes covering the spinal chord and brain, Public Health Minister Rocío Sáenz told The Tico Times.

Villalobos said 25% of the population carry meningitis bacteria in their respiratory systems, but not everyone develops symptoms. When infected people cough or sneeze, they can pass the bacteria on to others who may or may not develop the illness.

The symptoms of meningitis, which exists in viral and bacterial forms, include severe headaches, high fevers of more than 40 degrees Celsius, drowsiness and a general ill-feeling, Sáenz said.

According to Villalobos, meningitis is less severe in its viral form, but will also lead to death if not treated.

Meningococcal meningitis, a severe form of bacterial meningitis, has the same symptoms of other forms of the illness, but strikes much faster and may put the patient into a coma within hours, Sáenz explained.

People who display these symptoms should visit their nearest clinic, Sáenz said, adding that once meningitis is diagnosed, it is treated with antibiotics.

The Health Minister warned that people should not be alarmed about these meningitis cases since the only unusual thing about them is that four cases emerged at a single workplace.

Approximately 400 meningitis cases, both viral and bacterial, are registered throughout the country each year, leaving an annual average of 25-30 deceased, she said.