A COMPOSTELA Valley Province health officer allayed fears of a meningococcemia scare in the province on the heels of the death of one Grade 7 student of Monkayo National High School (MNHS) allegedly caused by meningococcemia.
Dr. Antonio Ybiernas, Compostela Valley provincial health officer II, said in a phone interview Thursday, June 21, there is nothing to worry as long as all those who have close contact with the deceased have been traced and are given prophylaxis.
He said that according to their observation, when they traced all those who had close contact with the deceased, they can say that the deceased did not get the bacteria from somebody else but it was his own bacteria in the body.
“Mga 50 percent of individuals naa ani na kagaw, it’s only when our immune system is very low nga mu-develop ni sila (About 50 percent of individuals have this bacteria, it is developed when our immune system is very low),” he clarified.
“The case was still a ‘suspected’ case of meningococcemia because wala na laboratory test ang bata kay nag-arrest dayon siya unya namatay,” Ybiernas added.
He clarified that meningococcemia is “not” airborne but can be spread through droplets, citing as an example that when a suspected carrier of the bacteria coughs or sneezes to another individual.
He also said that aside from prophylaxis, the best prevention of the disease is proper hygiene.
“Para sa akoa, pwede naman sila mubalik og eskwela, there is no need to panic kay tanan naman nga na-close contact sa bata kay na-trace na ug nahatagan na og prophylaxis (They can go back to school, there is no need to panic since all those who had contact with the child were traced and given prophylaxis),” Ybiernas said, adding that everybody must practice hand washing all the time aside from taking a bath everyday.
Prior to this, the municipality of Monkayo, on its Facebook page, bared the suspension of all classes in all levels in MNHS and Monkayo Central Elementary School starting yesterday, June 21, 2019, until further notice as a Grade 7 student of MNHS died of suspected meningococcemia last June 19.
The LGU of Monkayo revealed that MNHS Grades 7-9 students were advised to report to the Principal’s Office in the morning of the same day to undergo proper medical procedure as advised by the municipality’s Health Office.
Moreover, it stated that the municipality, with its health team which is created for this purpose, is undertaking massive prophylaxis to all Grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 MNHS students as directed by Monkayo Mayor Ramil Gentugaya.
In an interview Thursday with Monkayo information officer JA Crizaldo, she said they targeted Grades 7-10 to prevent the infectious disease from developing and spreading.
She said that there were only 10 available boxes of the medicine which could cater around 2,000 students.
“This is a precautionary measure. Kasi if it is indeed meningo, it will stop the spread,” Crizaldo said.
A report from the Philippine Information Agency-Compostela Valley revealed that the municipality administered prophylaxis to the family of the deceased, including those who had close contact with him, as said by Emiliano Bacaro Jr., Monkayo Municipality communicable disease coordinator.
The Health Team also conducted a massive intensive information drive on how to prevent and control meningococcemia.
Meningococcemia is caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitis. Common early symptoms include fever, headache, rash consisting of small spots, nausea, irritability, and anxiety. It can spread through direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat.