Meningo-like Cases Have Petechial Rashes
Recombinomics Commentary
January 17, 2005
>> Dr. Luningning Villa, spokesperson of the meningococcemia command post, said the new case could be meningitis, a disease similar to meningococcemia, but ess severe. She said the patient was suffering from stiff neck and vomiting.
Villa said apart from high fever and purple rashes, which are the indications of meningococcemia, residents are also advised to take note of stiff neck and headache, which are symptoms of meningitis.<<
An earlier commentary indicated that the meningococcemia-like (meningo-like) cases apparently did not have petechial rashes. Those cases do have the rashes. The comment above just referred to a couple of unclassified cases that had meningitis. Thus, the largest group of patients has a fever and skin rashes but are negative for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A. These are the meningo-like cases. The second, much smaller group, has a positive lab result for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A. These are meningo confirmed cases. The early cases mentioned above have meningitis, but have no skin rashes or positive tests for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A.
The menigococcemia-like cases make up the largest group. Media reports indicate there are over 100 cases in the Philippines and they have a 68% case fatality rate, but there are no reports of these cases being tested for bird flu (H5N1 avian influenza).
Media link