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STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden's health authority is urging nearly 2,000 scouts returning from a gathering in Japan to get medical treatment after a suspected outbreak of meningitis.
The Swedish Public Health Agency on Monday said one Swedish participant was likely to have contracted the disease at the World Scout Jamboree. Two other cases were under investigation.
The agency also said three cases have been reported in Scotland.
The Scout Association of Japan said it was aware of the cases in Scotland, and that it had warned others who had camped near the Scottish scouts, including groups from Sweden, Switzerland, France, Finland, the United States and Japan.
An estimated 30,000 scouts from around the world attended the July 28-Aug. 8 event in Kirara-hama in western Japan, including 1,900 from Sweden.
The Swedish health agency urged returning participants to seek preventive treatment as a precaution, even if they're not feeling sick.
Meningitis is a bacterial infection of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord that most commonly affects children and teenagers.
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