Antipolo teener dies of meningo?

A 13-year-old high school student died in Antipolo City last Thursday in what authorities suspect to be another case of meningococcemia.

The victim, Eliza Mae Moises, of Barangay De la Paz, was declared dead on arrival at the Antipolo Community Hospital by attending doctors.

She was at first diagnosed as having contracted dengue. However, the hospital management decided to temporarily close the facility to other patients that day as a preventive measure in case the teenager had the meningococcemia virus.

"The hospital only has medical equipment to detect dengue and not meningcoccemia so they merely declared it a dengue case," a city official said.

The doctors also directed the girl’s family to immediately bury her remains at the Boso-boso cemetery to prevent the virus from spreading.

Dengue and meningcoccemia have common symptoms, including high fever and bleeding, doctors said.

The doctors also recommended that the Moises family and other people who had mingled with the girl to undergo prophylaxis as a preventive measure.

The first suspected meningococcemia case in Antipolo City was reported early this year.