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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Contagious blood illness eyed in tot's death
By Maricar Aranas
GUIHULNGAN, Negros Oriental -- The health office here has not ruled out the possibility that meningococcemia could have been the cause of the death last August 25 of a ten-month-old toddler who was admitted for treatment a day before at the Guihulngan District Hospital.
Resident physician Susaneth Benitez said the child, Albert Libaton, bore the symptoms of the disease that included heavy rashes as big as five-centavo coins on his body.
Benitez clarified though that her findings were not confirmatory until after the Department of Health (DOH) ruled on the investigation of the provincial DOH's surveillance team headed by Claudith May Flores.
She said that how the child contracted the disease could not be ascertained because the parents had clarified that the child had not gone anywhere or been exposed to crowds.
To prevent the disease from spreading in case it was meningococcemia, the district hospital, said Dr. Benitez, has placed the child's parents, his family, and hospital personnel who had been in direct contact with Albert under refampicin treatment.
Meningococcemia claimed dozens of lives when it broke out in Baguio City last year. Its symptoms include fever, cough and colds, sore throat, and skin rashes particularly on the hands and feet.
Coughing and sharing of house utensils spread the disease.
(September 1, 2005 issue)
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