|
Thursday, January 13, 2005
WHO experts to probe blood illness cases in RP
MANILA -- The World Health Organization is dispatching two experts to help Philippine health officials contain an outbreak of a deadly meningitis-like disease, officials said Wednesday.
Nineteen of 25 patients suspected of having meningococcemia have died since early 2004, the WHO's regional office in Manila said.
"This is an exceptionally high case fatality rate for meningococcal infection so we are treating the situation seriously," WHO country representative Dr. Jean-Marc Olive said.
Most of the cases were reported in Baguio City, which the Department of Health may declare to be free of meningococcemia this week if no new cases crop up.
"However, we need to know how many of these suspected cases are really due to meningococcal infection and not to other causes," Olive said.
Philippine health authorities said only two of the 19 who died were confirmed as having the disease, whose symptoms include headache, vomiting, stiff neck, rashes and fever.
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said in Manila that the last case of meningococcemia in the Cordillera region was registered last January 7 in Itogon, Benguet.
"If there will be no new cases on January 17, we can safely say that we have stopped the chain of meningococcemia and on January 18, we will probably lower the alert on meningococcemia," Dayrit said Wednesday.
He earlier said they would try to contain the disease within two weeks, as the meningo scare had adversely affected Baguio City's economy, its tourist arrivals and vegetable sales dropping by more than 50 percent.
Olive said a meningococcemia expert is arriving in the Philippines late Wednesday from WHO headquarters in Geneva, while a lab specialist will arrive later this week in an attempt to contain the disease.
"By fully understanding the extent of the problem, additional appropriate control measures can be undertaken," he said.
However, Olive said there was a "very low risk of infection" for the public because the disease is spread only through very close contact or exposure for a long period of time.
Meningococcemia is endemic in the Philippines and many parts of Asia, but it rarely results in large outbreaks. The incubation period is usually two to 10 days. (AP with Sunnex Luzon)
(January 13, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Barangay polls to be reset May '08