Prevention, they say, is better than cure. If this was applied to all health concerns, numerous outbreaks could have been prevented. This is certainly true about the meningococcemia outbreak that hit Baguio City in 2004. The outbreak was eventually controlled but the disease did not totally disappear.
What, actually, is meningococcemia? Meningococcemia is an infection of the bloodstream caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitides. Not too many people realize the fact that bacteria are apparently present in our upper respiratory tract – the nose and throat – but they do not cause any harm. In short, it is an illness just waiting to happen.
Occasionally, the bacteria turn aggressive and cause fever, make one feel irritable and break out in spotty red or purple rashes. These symptoms might even take a turn for the worse when blood pressure plummets and we experience multiple organ failure. When this happens, there is possibility that one can die within 24 hours.
People are unaware that meningococcemia can be prevented through vaccination.
In the Philippines, for every one million people at risk, only one will develop meningococcemia. This risk increases when you live in an area where meningococcemia is common: In a crowded or poorly ventilated environment, when you have weak body resistance and have another illness like bronchitis or diabetes.
The most effective way of preventing meningococcemia is still through vaccination. The meningococcal virus has many different strains but Euro-A&C, can cover two of the most common strains in the Philippines. Euro-A&C is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Global Vaccine Express (Glovax).
For more information visit www.global-vaccine.com.
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