Health experts warn parents about deadly meningitis bacteria

Parents, beware!

Government medical experts warned the public yesterday of the possible spread of a bacteria that cause meningitis and other deadly infections among children, particularly those under two years of age.

Dr. Lulu Bravo, chief of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) pediatric infectious disease department, said most parents are not aware there is a bacteria known as streptocuccus pneumoniae, which, when acquired, can trigger death in as short as two days.

"Sometimes parents think that their children are just suffering from minor fever not knowing they have severe infection that can cause immediate death," Bravo said, noting that streptocuccus pneumoniae causes different deadly infections.

She said the deadly bacteria can cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) or infection of the lungs; bacteremia or infection of the blood; meningitis or infection in the brain and the spinal cord along with infection of the blood that could lead to organ failure.

According to Bravo, 17 million people worldwide die of infectious diseases annually which translates to 50,000 deaths daily. Of the figure, more than one million are children under five years who die of IPD.

She noted that IPD afflicts 20 to 23 percent of Filipino kids.

"IPD is the most common cause of hospitalization and death among Filipino children, particularly those who are under two years," Bravo said, but added that many hospitals lack the resources to confirm what causes the fatal illness.

Despite the availability of antibiotics, Bravo said, three out of 10 children still die of IPD because the bacteria that commonly cause the illness are resistant to antibiotics and there is no vaccine for children under two years.

Bravo said there are various of types of bacteria and virus that cause IPD but the most virulent and common is the streptocuccus pneumoniae. Of the four to five million pneumonia cases recorded annually, one million or 25 percent were due to the deadly bacteria.

However, Bravo said IPD can now be prevented among young children with the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which has been safely administered to over 19,000 infants worldwide.

"The new vaccine is now available in the country and we are advising parents to have their children immunized to protect their children from such deadly infection," she said.