The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) on Friday characterised the fever outbreak in the Deniyaya area as viral meningitis, a more specific clinical diagnosis than the enteric-virus framing health officials offered earlier in the week.
Between 45 and 50 children with symptoms consistent with viral meningitis have been admitted to Deniyaya Base Hospital over the past two to three weeks, GMOA Assistant Secretary and Media Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said.
Preliminary investigations indicate the illness is caused by a viral infection believed to spread mainly through contaminated water, with a slight possibility of transmission through the respiratory system or close contact, according to the GMOA. Schools, daycare centres and tuition classes are at higher transmission risk because of the concentration of children, the union warned.
Reported symptoms include fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness or pain, sensitivity to light, vomiting, loss of appetite and body aches. The GMOA said long-term complications and fatalities appear minimal but stressed that early diagnosis and treatment are essential.
Specialist teams from the Epidemiology Unit have launched investigations to identify the source of the outbreak and implement control measures. Health officials urged residents to use boiled or clean drinking water, maintain food hygiene, practise proper handwashing and wear face masks in crowded places.
The outbreak currently appears to be limited to Deniyaya, with no similar cluster reported elsewhere in the Matara District. The GMOA’s clinical characterisation comes after Southern Province health authorities earlier this week traced the illness to enteric viruses through bio-samples tested at Karapitiya Hospital and after four schools in the Deniyaya zone were temporarily closed on May 7 and 8 over a sharp rise in absenteeism.
