Need for greater awareness of meningitis

I WRITE this letter as an eye witness to a family member who recently contracted bacterial meningoencephalitis while travelling abroad. The offending organism was identified as Streptococcus pneumoniae.

We were not part of a holiday tour or pilgrimage group. Neither were we staying in a dormitory setting nor engaged in activities that promoted transmission of this infection. We were merely two retirees on a holiday abroad.