Teenager with bacterial meningitis in critical condition at Nicosia Hospital ICU
A 17-year-old patient diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia remains intubated in the intensive care unit at Nicosia General Hospital.
“The teenager’s condition remains very serious,” Charalambos Charilaou, spokesperson for the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), noting that medical staff remain hopeful for recovery despite the severity of the case.
This marks the third reported meningitis case in Cyprus since the beginning of 2025, following two other recent cases that affected a high school student in Limassol and an infant from Paphos.
The six-month-old infant continues treatment at Makarios Hospital, with health officials reporting steady improvement in the child’s condition.
Meanwhile, the 16-year-old female student from Limassol who received treatment at a private clinic has been discharged, according to SHSO.
Cyprus health authorities report that four meningococcal disease cases were recorded throughout 2024, with three additional cases documented since the beginning of 2025. Officials emphasise that these cases are unrelated and do not constitute a cluster outbreak.
In a recent public health advisory, Medical and Public Health Services clarified that meningococcal transmission requires close person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets.
The risk primarily concerns individuals sharing living spaces with patients, particularly children, those in the same classroom daily, or adults working extended hours in enclosed environments.
The meningococcus does not spread through brief or occasional contact, the advisory stated, addressing public concerns about transmission risk.( /in-cyprus.philenews.com)
