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The number of patients diagnosed with viral meningitis in the Khabarovsky region has reached 1,300 people on Thursday, officials said.

The outbreak started in late June hitting children, the majority of them going to hospitals in
Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Chief Russian Sanitarian Gennagy Onishchenko revealed to Khabarovsk reporters on Tuesday that contaminated water from the Amur River caused the infection outbreak.

Virus experts and epidemiologists from Moscow are assisting local specialists to stop the infection’s spread.

Khabarovsk administration officials reported on Friday that the infection is fading with a decreasing number of cases registered daily. The monitoring of drinking water is under strict control.

Meningitis is a contagious illness caused by bacterial or viral infections and is spread both through water and by air.

The summer vacation for first through eighth grade students in the Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur secondary schools were prolonged through September 11, to minimize children’s contacts. Children under 14 years old are temporarily banned from visiting crowded entertainment and sporting events.

Fatal cases of viral meningitis are rare, with most patients completely recovering within seven to ten days.

Read a related story here http://vn.vladnews.ru/issue533/Special_reports/Meningitis_outbreak_strikes_Khabarovsk