Mandaluyong student’s death sparks meningococcemia scare

MANILA, Philippines - The death of a third grader caused parents of students at the Highway Hills Integrated School in Mandaluyong City to keep their children from going to classes since Tuesday for fear of being infected with meningococcemia.

In an interview with The STAR, George (not his real name), a third year high school student, said his parents told him and his brother not to go to school after they learned that a grade three student in their school died last Dec. 10, allegedly due to meningococcemia. The school will go on Christmas break on Dec. 22.

“I started not going to school since Tuesday because my parents are afraid that I might also acquire meningococcemia. It is an airborne disease which is contagious,” George said, adding that four other students are reportedly in the hospital due to meningococcemia.

Not true

Highway Hills principal Carmencita Gonzales belied reports that one of their school’s students died of meningococcemia.

In a report to Mandaluyong school division superintendent Evangeline Ladines, Gonzales confirmed that on Dec. 10, she received a report from grade three adviser Michelle Cogonon that Junel Quirong died of dengue.

Gonzales, however, said she also received a report from Quirong’s mother, who said the San Lazaro Hospital told her son died after suffering from meningococcemia. She said she called up the city health office and sought advice from their staff.

The principal said city health officer Dr. Gloria Lacson held an orientation with the parents of Quirong’s classmates. Lacson advised that the students be given two days’ worth of medicine as prophylaxis and one week of rest, Gonzales said.

“Unfortunately, the information came to the attention of other parents from other grade or year levels. Alarmed by the risk of their children’s health, most of them fetched their children,” Gonzales said.

On Dec. 11, only 30 percent of the students were in school.

Test results

Gonzales said the result of the blood test for the first 24 hours was negative for meningococcemia, and the five-day blood culture also tested negative for the bacteria that causes the disease, Neisseria meningitidis.

She added that the classroom where Quirong sat had been thoroughly cleaned.

Rex Ado, officer-in-charge of the school division superintendent’s office, told parents that regular classes will go on at Highway Hills since there is no advisory from the Department of Health to suspend classes.