THE Department of Health and the Irish Travel Agents' Association yesterday dismissed fears of a meningitis epidemic on Majorca as two more young tourists, were diagnosed as having the disease on the Spanish island. About 40,000 Irish people visit Majorca annually.
"People can make up their own minds", a spokeswoman for the Department said, "but we have no information to suggest that they should change their travel plans."
A British teenager and a German girl staying in an apartment block in the northern resort town, of Alcudia died after contracting meningitis last week.
The boy, who died last Monday, was named as Christopher Richards of West Sussex who was staying at the Alcudia Pins complex at Playa de Muro in the north of the island. An 11 year old German girl staying at the same complex died the next day.
Meanwhile, a five year old British girl is in intensive care in a Palma hospital after contracting the disease in Magaluf in the southern part of the island.
A three year old child from Leeds, Thomas O'Neill, who contracted meningococcal septicaemia in Magaluf last week, was released from hospital for the weekend.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it had been in touch with the Spanish authorities over the weekend.
The Department is suggesting that holidaymakers intending to travel to Majorca should see their doctor before going on holidays if they are concerned, but the spokesman added, its advice, that it was safe to travel remained unchanged.
Mr Brendan Moran, the chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents' Association, said it was natural that holidaymakers should be concerned about the reports of meningitis in Majorca, but all Irish tour operators were maintaining their full holiday, schedules to the island.
Ms Gillian Bowler, the joint managing director of Budget Travel, said business to Majorca, had not been affected by the meningitis reports.
Budget Travel had not, received a single call over the weekend, she added.
The spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the cases in Alcudia and Magaluf could not be related as meningitis could only be passed on through close physical contact.
"There is no epidemic", Dr Gines Martinez Pina, the director of health services for the Balearic. Islands, told PA. Dr Pina added that the British boy who had died in Alcudia appeared to have arrived at the resort with the disease.
"The boy was on a Mediterranean cruise and came ashore in Majorca and he became ill within 24 hours", said Dr Pina.
The disease has an incubation period of between two and 10 days, according to Dr Pina.
According to press agency reports 60 British visitors had cut short their holidays in Majorca and hundreds more had asked to change their hotels.