In the wake of meningococcal meningitis spreading among inmates at the Galle Prison, the Health Ministry has stated that there is no shortage of the necessary vaccine and it has instructed the relevant authorities to administer the vaccine to all vulnerable groups.

Meningococcal meningitis refers to any illness caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. These illnesses are often severe, can be deadly, and include infections of the lining of the brain, the spinal cord (meninges) and the bloodstream.

The cause behind the deaths of two inmates and the hospitalisation of several others at the Galle Prison, which houses more than 1,000 inmates, had been identified as a meningococcus bacterial infection. Against that backdrop, it was reported that there is a shortage of the meningitis vaccine in the country.

When contacted by The Daily Morning to inquire about the matter, the ministry’s Secretary Janaka Sri Chandraguptha assured that there are adequate vaccines to be administered against meningitis. “The relevant units have informed the ministry that there are adequate vaccines. We have instructed them to administer the vaccine to all vulnerable groups, including those at the Galle Prison. It will be done accordingly.”

Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Unit emphasised that the public should not have undue fears about the meningococcal meningitis bacterial disease. Director of the unit, Dr. Samitha Ginige mentioned that patients suffering from this illness are reported in Sri Lanka every year, adding that it is not an uncommon occurrence. “This is not an undiagnosed condition. This disease can spread through the close association of infected individuals,” he added. The spread of the disease at the prison has no effect on the community, Dr. Ginige said further.

The Daily Morning reported in late May of this year (2023) that the alleged failure of the ministry to properly vaccinate those leaving for Mecca for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages this year against meningitis may result in several adverse consequences to the country’s health sector as well as diplomatic relations between the Governments of Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. Despite the mandatory requirement to administer the said vaccine to those who leave for Mecca, sources told The Daily Morning at that time that the ministry had failed to do so this year, and that certain general doctors had instead administered vaccines that had not been stored in proper cold storage.

On 21 August, two inmates of the Galle Prison had died while several others had been hospitalised due to an illness that remained unidentified at the time. While investigations into the matter were expedited, immediate safety precautions such as making it mandatory for all inside the prison to wear facemasks had been taken. Following the identification of the illness to be meningococcal meningitis, more actions, such as the restriction of prison affairs, including the restriction of movement from outside into the prison and not presenting inmates to courts except virtually, had been taken by the Department of Prisons.