Meningitis invades Sweden on HWN MENINGITIS UPDATE

Swedish health officials said Monday three possible cases of meningitis have been detected among Swedes who attended a recent scout jamboree in Japan, and urged all 1,900 Swedish participants to consult a doctor.

Sweden currently has one very probable case and two (cases) are being investigated," the Swedish Public Health Agency said in a statement.

Some 1,900 Swedes, most of them teens aged 14 to 17, took part in an annual scout jamboree in Japan from July 28 to August 8.

The health agency urged them to visit a doctor to get anti-biotics to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.

Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and can be life-threatening.

Symptoms include high fever, a stiff neck, vomiting and severe headaches.

Several European participants have displayed symptoms, and three cases have been confirmed in Scotland, the health agency said.

A spokeswoman for the Swedish scouting association, Caroline Thunved, told public television SVT that two cases had been confirmed in Sweden but health authorities could not confirm that.

Source: AFP, HWN Africa.