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HSE warns parents and the general public to pay attention to three deaths in meningitis in Ireland in recent weeks.
We advise parents to check that children have been vaccinated against the disease as this poses a serious threat to children and adolescents.
Since the last week of December 2018, eleven cases have been notified to the HHSC.
Three patients with a diagnosis of meningococcal disease died directly due to infection.
The 11 cases reported in the last week of 2018 and the first week of 2019 are compared with five cases for the same time period last year.
Meningitis is an infection of the mucous membrane of the brain and / or spinal cord. There are two types of meningitis; bacterial and viral.
Fat that causes bacterial meningitis can also cause septicemia.
Bacterial meningitis is usually more serious than a viral strain.
The disease is most common in children and adolescents, and HSE advised parents to be aware of the symptoms.
Symptoms of meningitis include:
Dr. Suzanne Cotter, an expert on public health medicine for the HPSC, said: "Although the incidence of meningococcal disease generally increases in winter months, recent increases are the cause of concern, and HSE would like to alert the public to the signs and symptoms of this disease. that it is possible to seek immediate medical help if someone has symptoms that could be caused by this bug.
"If anyone has any concerns about meningitis, first contact your doctor.
"Meningitis and septicemia often occur together, and symptoms may occur in any order. Some may not even appear.
"Early symptoms may include: fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, stomach cramps, fever with cold hands and feet, and rash, but do not wait for a rash to occur immediately."
As Dr. Cotter at Morning Ireland at RTE: "This particular type of meningitis is caused by a bacterium called meningococcal and is more common in winter. Many of us carry it in Nasofarinks and we do not have it.
"A minority of people break into the system and then it can present as meningitis and other symptoms.
"We transfer a person to a person, but usually people do not know that they have it, and they do not know that they have given it to anyone.
"People who get meningitis can not clearly identify who they get from. So, this is relatively rare, but at the same time we see an increase in the number that would normally be observed over a period of two weeks.
"11 cases are higher than normal and for this reason we want to raise awareness among the general public that meningitis circulates, symptoms can occur and should not be ignored.
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"Sometimes it follows the flu season, or it can accompany the influenza season, but it also comes in the flu season, and this may be another reason why it is increasing. The flu can reduce the immune system of some people and may become more susceptible."
Dr. Cotter added that there was a decline in the incidence of meningitis vaccines compared to other vaccines.
"For reasons we do not understand, there was a fall. Perhaps people thought that children were given vaccines or that they did not go to their last visit, a 13-month visit."
It was asked parents to ensure that their child was vaccinated after an increase in the number of cases.
Dr. Cotter said: "Now that meninogococcal disease is on the rise, parents should review the child's vaccination record and make sure they get all their vaccines."
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