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WHO to help the Philippines investigate disease outbreak
Manila, 12 January 2005 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has offered its support to Philippine health authorities in their investigation of suspected meningococcemia cases in the northern tourist city of Baguio, where eight cases of the disease have been confirmed since last October.
Dr Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO's representative in the Philippines, said the situation in the Baguio area needed to be better understood, and more extensive investigations would be needed to ascertain how serious a threat the disease was. "To help with these investigations, we will initially be providing the services of laboratory and epidemiology experts," Dr Olivé said. A command post has been set up in Baguio with WHO's assistance to help with investigations and control.
In addition to the eight laboratory-confirmed cases, Philippine authorities have reported 25 suspected cases in Baguio since the beginning of 2004. A total of 19 people have died. "This is an exceptionally high case fatality rate for meningococcal infection," said Dr Olivé, "so we are treating the situation seriously. However, we need to know how many of these suspected cases are really due to meningococcal infection and not to other causes. By fully understanding the extent of the problem, additional appropriate control measures can be undertaken."
Dr Olivé said there was no need for members of the public - from the Philippines or from abroad - to avoid travel to Baguio. "There is a very low risk of infection among travellers," he said. "The disease is spread only through very close contact, such as a prolonged household setting. So there is little chance of infection in a normal public setting." Dr Olivé added that produce from Baguio, such as fruit and vegetables, was safe.
Meningococcemia is endemic in the Philippines and much of Asia, but rarely results in large clusters. Most cases are sporadic in nature.
The infection presents as meningitis (meningococcal meningitis) or septicaemia (meningococcemia) or a combination of both. The symptoms of meningitis are a headache, vomiting, and a stiff neck, sometimes with a bruise-like rash. Septicaemia symptoms are a spreading rash and fever, sometimes with signs of meningitis. The infection is seasonal, with a higher incidence in the winter months. The incubation period is 2-10 days.
The confirmed cases in Baguio have been identified as serogroup A, for which most commonly available vaccines are effective. At this time, given the available information, mass vaccination in Baguio is not recommended.
For more information, please contact Dr. Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO Representative for the Philippines, on (63-2) 528 9764 or (63-2) 338 7479, or Peter Cordingley, WHO spokesman for the Western Pacific Region, on (63-2) 528 9992 or email
.