WRITTEN QUESTION E-2177/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(19 July 2001)

Subject: Increase in the number of meningitis cases in Italy

Italy's leading public-health body has recently published data relating to the incidence of pneumococcal meningitis within the country's population. The figures (there were 309 cases in 1999 as against 109 in 1994) are alarming.

Pneumococcal meningitis is caused by bacteria, as are meningococcal meningitis (Neisseria meningitidis) and haemophilus influenzae meningitis, and is spread through the air (by coughs and sneezes), although most children are what are known as healthy carriers. However, those at most risk are close friends and relatives of such carriers and effective treatment calls for prompt action, since the illness is fatal in 60 % of cases.

1. Is the Commission aware of this state of affairs?

2. Does it hold similar data from other EU Member States and the applicant countries?

3. Does it intend to have research carried out in order to determine the incidence of meningitis in the EU Member States and the applicant countries, at least over the last four years?

4. What action does it intend to take in order to ensure that the Member States' health ministries do what is necessary to prevent any further spread of the disease?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(5 September 2001)

1. Yes.

2. According to information by Istituto Superiore di Sanità the increase in notified cases in 1999 compared with 1994 is related to the introduction in 1994 of a voluntary notification scheme for meningitis caused by pathogens other than N. meningitidis (meningococcus) rather than an alarming increase in actual cases. In fact in 2000, cases caused by S. pneumoniae (pneumococcus) were 231, lower than the number of cases reported in 1999 (309).

3. A surveillance network, under the provisions of Decision 2119/98/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 1998 setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community(1), has recently begun operations. This surveillance network will over the coming period provide more comparable figures on the incidence of meningitis in the Member States and in the candidates accession countries. Rapidly increasing incidences of pneumococcal meningitis, if observed, should be carefully validated to definitely exclude likely artifacts in reporting. There is some evidence of a very gradual but slow increase in this infection in some Member States. Such an increase might be related to the increased proportion of elderly persons in the population, since a substantial fraction of pneumoccoccal meningitis cases occurs in the elderly.

4. Pneumococcal invasive diseases (including meningitis) and meningitis caused by any bacterial species are within the scope of the Community Early Warning and Response System of the Community Network for the Epidemiological Surveillance and Control on Communicable Diseases, active since 1999 in execution of Decision 2119/98/EC. A research project on invasive pneumococcal diseases in Europe (PNC-EURO) is being financed by the Commission under the Fifth Community's Framework Programme for research and technological development (RTD) as part of the Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources programme.

(1) OJ L 268, 3.10.1998.