Sunday, March 25, 2007 Docs keep watch over meningo patient, relatives By Danilo V. Adorador III
PREVENTIVE medication has been given to people who came in close contact with the four-year-old child suspected of being ill with meningococcemia, a health official said.
Dr. Evelyn Perez, assistant medical head of the J.R. Borja Memorial Hospital, on Thursday confirmed that the child-patient has exhibited symptoms consistent with meningococcal infection.
The child, who was found out to be nutritionally deficient when first admitted early this week, had been treated in an isolation room, said Perez said, adding that the child's condition is still being monitored as of Friday.
The recent meningo case is the second in Cagayan de Oro. The earlier incident, which killed a four-year-old boy, had caused panic as the disease is highly contagious.
However, Councilor Simeon Licayan, chairman of the City Council health committee, said city health officials have assured him that prophylaxis or preventive medicines had been administered to people who came in close contact with the patient.
"I have instructions to monitor the new case closely and provide necessary treatment to those who are believed to have been infected with the disease," said Licayan.
Local health officials earlier sought to dispel apprehensions about meningococcemia, fearing a "meningo scare" specter that may put Cagayan de Oro in a negative light.
Unlike the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), meningococcemia can potentially be contracted only when an individual came in contact as close as one meter with the infected person, said Dr. Joselito Retuya, head epidemiologist at the City Health Office (CHO).
"For example, there is this unreasonable fear from neighbors of the infected patient that they may also catch the disease. This is unfounded, because you may only contract the disease through a prolonged, close contact with the patient and the distance should be a meter or less," Retuya said.
Unlike Sars, quarantine is not needed for persons who are believed to have contracted meningococcemia through close association with the infected patient, he said.
Last year, Department of Health (DOH)-Northern Mindanao recorded only two meningococcemia cases.
Past cases reveal that the disease occurs sporadically, or no two cases had been recorded in one location, ruling out possibility of an outbreak, said Dr. David Mendoza, chief epidemiologist at the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU).
According to DOH, meningococcemia is characterized by sudden onset of high grade fever lasting for 24 hours.
Other signs and symptoms are petechial and/or purpuric rashes appearing within 24 hours after onset of fever, and signs of meningeal irritation such as: headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, bulging fontanel (among infants), seizure or convulsions, and sensorial changes.
