A distressing incident unfolded as a first-year undergraduate student from the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Patras was diagnosed with meningitis. The student was promptly transferred to the University Hospital of Patras, where he currently remains hospitalized and intubated, fortunately in stable condition.
Immediate health measures were implemented for those students who had been in contact with the affected individual. Meningococcus, the bacterium responsible for the illness, has the capacity to trigger both endemic and epidemic diseases, necessitating a rapid and comprehensive approach.
According to the Hellenic National Public Health Organization (EODY), individuals who have been in contact with the student up to seven days before the onset of symptoms must undergo chemoprophylaxis to prevent potential transmission.
President of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Professor Vasilis Kostopoulos, shed light on the university’s response to the incident in an interview with the local newspaper Gnomi, stating, “I was immediately informed following the diagnosis of the disease, and all prescribed precautionary measures were promptly implemented at the University. This was done in accordance with the guidelines provided by Professor Markos Maragos, Director of the Pathology Clinic and the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital of Patras. Furthermore, both the Hellenic National Public Health Organization (EODY) and the Department of Public Health in Patras were promptly notified of the situation.”
