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Friday, March 11, 2005
45 new blood infection cases noted in region
By Jane Cadalig
BAGUIO CITY -- Health officials have recorded 45 new cases this year of the infectious blood disease hounding several areas of the Cordillera region and this city since late 2004.
The Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday that of the 45 meningococcemia cases it monitored in the Cordilleras from January 24 to March 5, 16 were from Baguio City.
Included in the 16 are the two deaths reported last February 8 and 16.
Meningococcemia is an acute infection of the bloodstream caused by a meningococcus now known as Neisseria meningitides.
Meningococcus is a term used to refer to the bacteria that cause meningitis (swelling of the brain), bacteremia or bacteria in the blood (meningococcemia), pneumonia and arthritis. The bacteria frequently live in a person's upper respiratory tract, sometimes without causing any illness to that person.
Baguio was earlier reported to have recorded nine patients with suspected meningococcemia and two of them were said to have died in January 24 and February 21.
Dr. Antonio Bautista, head of the infectious disease control and prevention cluster of DOH, said the confirmed cases in the city were from seven different barangays.
In the province of Benguet, also in the Cordillera, 16 confirmed meningococcemia cases with three fatalities were also recorded while 13 cases with three deaths were noted in Mt. Province during the same period.
"These are all laboratory confirmed cases," said Bautista, adding there were also reported meningococcemia occurrences in Kalinga but these were still suspected cases.
Bautista said the region's data on meningococcemia occurrences will be among those used as basis in the establishment of the national guidelines for meningococcal illness, which refers to disease problems that meningococcus cause.
"There are already existing guidelines that we are following. But we are trying to modify the World Health Organization guidelines and fit it to the present scenario. Our experiences in dealing with the disease will be used as additional inputs to the national guideline," Bautista said.
| Post your experiences to the Sun.Star Graduation section. Click here. | 2005-02-24 04:52:02
mcalvo - My graduation was unforgettable to me and to my classmates. I was so drunk the night before graduation. During the ceremony i dozed to the point of snooring even when i was already standing i was half sleeping. Our dean has to call my name twice and the person behind me has to push me just to wake me up... graduations are memorable...enjoy and congratulations to all graduates!
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(March 11, 2005 issue)
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