by Mehreen Firdous
SRINAGAR: The Health Department in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal has issued an alert after several cases of viral meningitis were reported from different areas of the district, prompting authorities to dispatch medical teams and intensify surveillance measures.
Officials said that under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), several confirmed cases have been reported from Kangan block and nearby areas. Patients have been admitted to the District Hospital Ganderbal, while some were referred to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura for specialised treatment.
On May 12 alone, three patients were admitted to the district hospital in Ganderbal, while four others from different parts of the district were referred to SKIMS Soura in Srinagar.
Areas including Kangan, Beehama, Haripora, Nunner, Wussan, Arigori Pora and Ganderbal town have been placed on alert.
Chief Medical Officer Ganderbal, Dr Bahir Ahmad, said the situation was under control and that no fresh cases had been reported. He said the office of the CMO had asked Zonal Education Officers and heads of educational institutions to immediately report any suspected case found in schools or campuses to the Health Department.
He urged people not to panic, saying the department had already issued an advisory to spread awareness about symptoms, precautions and preventive measures.
“It is a routine advisory, like the one we issue during winters or during natural emergencies,” he said.
According to medical experts associated with the hospital, meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. The disease can be caused by viruses, bacteria or other infections, and symptoms commonly include high fever, severe headache, vomiting and neck stiffness. In some cases, the infection may also affect brain tissue, leading to encephalitis.
Doctors said patients suspected of having meningitis undergo baseline investigations and CT scans before a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination is conducted through lumbar puncture. The CSF test helps determine whether the infection is viral, bacterial or linked to other causes such as tuberculosis.
Medical experts said bacterial and viral meningitis show different patterns during laboratory examination. While bacterial infections often reduce sugar levels in the CSF and may show bacterial growth in cultures, viral infections usually require viral panel testing to identify the exact virus involved.
Doctors added that identifying the precise virus can take time, as multiple patient samples are often compared to determine whether a common infection pattern is emerging in the affected areas.
(Author is an intern at Kashmir Life)
