A 51-year-old man was
hospitalized in a coma with pneumococcal meningitis Wednesday in
the Umbrian city of Terni.
Local public health authorities cautioned the public that
this strain of the meningitis bacteria doesn't cause epidemics
so people who came into contact with the patient won't need
preventive treatment.
Also on Wednesday, public health sources said a 24-year-old
man was hospitalized with meningitis C last night in intensive
care at San Jacopo Hospital in the Tuscan city of Pistoia.
Anyone who came into contact with him in the past two weeks
are being given preventive antibiotic treatment, the sources
said.
The patient lives in the Tuscan town of Quarrata, and on
February 6 took Alitalia Flight 518 leaving Pisa at 18:15 and
arriving in Tirana, Albania, at 19:55 local time.
He returned February 9 on Alitalia Flight 517 leaving
Tirana at 20:40 and arriving in Pisa at 22:30.
Anyone who was on either of those planes should turn to
their GP, emergency room or local public health clinic for
preventive anti-meningitis treatment, officials said.
Tuscany has seen a significant rise in meningitis cases in
recent months, Governor Enrico Rossi said Tuesday that the
region would vaccinate 1.5 million residents against the
potentially fatal infectious disease.
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