DOH asked to act on meningo cases in Batangas

BATANGAS, Philippines – Batangas second district Rep. Raneo Abu has called on the Department of Health (DOH) to act swiftly on the reported cases of meningoccocemia in Bauan town.

“In the absence of PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund), I’m calling on the DOH to act on the situation swiftly before it reaches an unmanageable proportion,” Abu said.

The lawmaker made the appeal as Bauan municipal health officer Victor Bejer informed him in a letter that a Grade 3 pupil of the Manghinao Elementary School experienced symptoms of meningococcemia and reportedly died last Monday while being treated at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

Bejer said the young victim tested positive for meningococcemia based on lab results released by RITM.  

Bejer said a 14-year-old boy also died of meningococcemia in September last year, while a six-year-old girl survived from the ailment.

Despite the three cases, Bejer said there is no outbreak of meningococcemia in Bauan.

Bejer said they were able to give vaccinations to the eight-year-old girl’s classmates and teachers at the Manghinao Elementary School as well as her parents and neighbors who had had close contact with her.

Manghinao Elementary School has at least 1,300 students who are also seeking vaccination, not to include their respective parents and teachers.

“On the same day that I learned about it, I immediately brought the matter to Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s attention.” Abu said.

Abu called on the DOH to provide Bauan town with the needed medicine and prophylaxis for at least two of its barangays.

Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, for her part, said the provincial health office has conducted a clean-up and fumigation at the Manghinao Elementary School.

“We gave them prophylaxis and antibiotics when we heard about the incident but we are still continuously monitoring the situation,” she said.

Meningococcemia is caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria that thrive in a person’s upper respiratory tract without causing any visible signs of the illness.

The bacteria can be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets from sneezing or coughing.