The death of an Italian girl from meningitis while returning from World Youth Day has prompted a health advisory.
The girl was identified as Susanna Rufi, 19, by an Italian publication called Corriere della Sera. Rufi died on Monday in Vienna, Austria, while she was returning home to Italy.
According to the Italian Bishops Conference, after arriving in Vienna with some 50 young people from the parishes of Saint Polycarp and Our Lady of Good Counsel, the girl fell ill on Sunday evening.
"She had been preparing for WYD for a year," said Fr. Alessandro, the parish priest of her local Saint Polycarp parish in Rome to Corriere della Sera.
"She was a wonderful girl, very active in the parish," he said, adding that she got good grades, and was active in the choir."
A statement issued by the Italian bishops' conference on Monday said that the members of the girl's pilgrimage group have taken a "prophylaxis" as a precaution.
As advised by the Vienna hospital, the Conference told the pilgrims to undergo the same prophylaxis, especially those who passed through the Italian House, the center which served the Italian pilgrims.
This year's WYD event saw a large numbers attending from Italy. The bishops' conference offered its condolences to the girl's family.