A team from Greece’s National Public Health Organization (EODY) is traveling to Patras on Wednesday, January 29, following the death of a 20-year-old student from a severe form of bacterial meningitis- known as fulminant meningitis- within 24 hours of the onset of his symptoms. The student was hospitalized at the University Hospital of Rio in Patras on Monday and passed away on Tuesday.
Diagnosed with Fulminant Meningitis
The 20-year-old student, Socrates, attended his class as usual last Monday. However, upon returning home, where he lived with his twin sister, he started feeling unwell, according to reports at To Vima. He was found to have a fever, and his sister, noticing his extreme fatigue and the appearance of skin discolorations, took him to the emergency room. There, he was diagnosed with fulminant meningitis, intubated, and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. His health deteriorated rapidly, and despite doctors’ efforts, he passed away on Tuesday.
Contact Tracing and Administration of Chemoprophylaxis Underway
Necessary measures have already been taken at the University of Patras, and exams have been postponed.
At the same time, contact tracing for the 20-year-old has begun. Forty students who attended the same class with him on Monday, as well as the professor who examined him, have been called to the auditorium to receive the required chemoprophylaxis.
Chemoprophylaxis is the use of medications to prevent the development or spread of an infection, especially in individuals who have been exposed to a contagious disease but are not yet showing symptoms. It is commonly used in outbreaks of bacterial infections, such as meningitis, tuberculosis, or malaria.
A History of Meningitis in Patras
It should be noted that other cases of meningitis were recorded in Patras last year. One case involved a 16-year-old female named Nefeli, who was diagnosed with meningococcal disease type B and passed away in early December 2024 after one and a half months of hospitalization.
A few months earlier, in March 2024, three other meningitis cases were reported among university students in the region. At that time, EODY had also dispatched a team to the city.