Children and adults should be more mindful about washing hands, not sharing drinks and staying home if ill.
Since April more than 90 cases of viral meningitis have been reported in Alberta, mostly in the Edmonton area.
“It’s caused by a virus called Enterovirus,” said Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services. “This virus is secreted from the respiratory secretion and it comes from stools.”
Although more prevalent in babies, the virus has affected more people between ages 10 to 30.
Most of the cases have been related to sports tournaments, recreational activities and kids congregating.
“Viral meningitis isn’t a particularly serious form of meningitis like the bacterial meningitis,” Predy said.
However, unlike common types of bacterial meningitis, the viral strain doesn’t have a vaccination.
So far, there have been no reported deaths related to the virus. Contact Alberta Health Services for more information.
