Pediatricians join World Meningitis Day

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS)-Cebu Central and Eastern Visayas chapters join the celebration of the World Meningitis Day (WMD) yesterday to promote vaccination as a way of preventing the disease.

Kristine Estrada-Cabanayan, Sanofi corporate communications officer, said that the event will help increase the awareness of people on meningitis. “Dapat mas maging aware yung public kasi meningitis is a very fatal disease,” she explained.

Cabanayan added that they have just started commemorating the World Meningitis Day last year and this year will be their second year.

Meanwhile, Joan Torres, Sanofi junior franchise manager, shared that one of their programs for this year’s WMD commemoration is to donate 50 meningococcal vaccines to children in Sawang Calero, Cebu City.

She added that they are sponsoring one institution, the Little Lamb Center, because this is the home of children with multiple disabilities and are prone to diseases.

“We are extending financial help to them, we also give them some of our products,” Torres added.

Dr. Jonathan Lee, a specialist for Pediatric Infectious Diseases said that the celebration kicked off on April 21, and now on its second year. 

He reminded that meningitis is a communicable disease.

“This is very delikado in the sense that it could complicate seizures once the brain is damaged… you can have epilepsy if it complicates,” Lee added.

Lee also explained that streptococcus is the most common type of meningitis, but signs and symptoms of it are hard to predict. The disease is not hereditary as it could be transmitted through the saliva and secretion from the nose.

Therefore, for malnourished and low resistant children, vaccination is the only way to prevent them from acquiring meningitis.

Lee is also advising the parents that aside from vaccination, they should provide the proper diet for their children.

If the infected child needs to be quarantined, Lee added it would depend on what type of disease, but the dosage should start with the most common antibiotic.

He said they are hoping that more projects will reach the children in far-flung areas and high risk groups in the coming years.   (FREEMAN NEWS)