DOH still on guard vs ‘meningo’ in Baguio

More than half a year has passed since Baguio City was rocked by the outbreak of meningococcemia, but health authorities are not letting their guard down, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

Dr. Ethelyn Nieto, DOH undersecretary for public health, said they are coordinating closely with Baguio health experts to ensure the continued monitoring of possible meningococcemia cases there.

Nieto said the health authorities have asked local teachers to conduct "fever surveillance" among their students to identify possible cases.

Under the set-up, the teachers have to monitor if any of their students are suffering from fever, and report them so that doctors could examine them immediately.

"It is really important for an infected person to be seen by a doctor so that he or she can be given proper treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment can help save lives," she said.

Last December, there has been an increase in meningococcemia cases in Baguio City. Experts blamed the cold climate and the crowding of people for the outbreak.

Meningococcemia is a disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitides. It is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and map-like rashes.

Nieto said a meningococcemia case occasionally surfaces in Baguio, but there is no outbreak. "It’s natural not only in Baguio, but in other places of the country as well. They are only sporadic cases," she said.

At present, the DOH is closely monitoring a five-year-old boy from Maysilo, Malabon who was rushed to the government-run San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila for manifesting symptoms similar to meningococcemia’s.

Nieto said health authorities have started contacting those who came in contact with the boy to prevent the spread of the infection should he turn out positive for the bacterial disease.