The Ministry of Health confirms that only two ‘Meningococcal’ infections have been reported in the country so far.
That is according to the test results conducted by the Medical Research Institute (MRI).
Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena said that one of the two infected people was reported from Galle prison, while the other was reported from Colombo.
The second patient has been identified as a resident of Jaela area and he is currently receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital, said Dr. Gunawardena, further assuring that he will recover.
However, he says that the bacterial infection has not spread throughout the Colombo district.
Commenting on meningococcal bacterial infection and how it spreads, Dr. Lilani Karunanayake, a Microbiologist in MRI said, “The bacterium is mostly spread through saliva and phlegm. Often, it spreads between people who are close to each other. It is more likely to spread within a household than within the entire community. ”
