A woman in her 60s from central Taiwan who died of meningococcal meningitis one day after the onset of symptoms is the first person in Taiwan to die of the disease this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The woman, who had a history of hypertension, began experiencing acute symptoms on May 7 and sought emergency medical treatment the next day, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.
The woman’s symptoms included a fever, chills, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea and general weakness, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
Photo: Hou Chia-yu, Taipei Times
When she sought treatment at an emergency room, she showed signs of cyanosis, a bluish or purplish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood, Lin said.
She was immediately intubated, and despite a medical team performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her, she died of respiratory failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation, he said.
A blood culture confirmed the presence of meningococcal bacteria, and further qualitative analysis identified the strain as Group B meningococcus, Lin said.
The woman’s close contacts, including family members who lived with her and healthcare workers who treated her, did not show suspected symptoms of the disease, he said, adding that 20 of them received post-exposure prophylaxis and their health conditions were monitored until Monday last week, and no new cases were identified.
Meningococcal meningitis is transmitted between humans mainly through close, direct contact with respiratory and throat secretions from an infected person or carrier, he said.
The disease is not as contagious as the flu, as it usually requires longer and closer direct contact for effective transmission, he added.
The bacteria commonly live in the back of the nose and throat of healthy people, among an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the population, without causing illness, Lin said.
However, in some cases, infection can develop into serious illness, with infants younger than one year old, schoolchildren, those living in close communal settings, and immunocompromised individuals at higher risk, he said.
Symptoms of the disease, which has an incubation period of two to 10 days, can appear suddenly, and include fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting and hemorrhagic rash, Lin said, adding that the fatality rate can be up to 40 percent if left untreated, as the illness can progress rapidly.
The disease can be prevented by practicing hand and respiratory hygiene, and people at higher risk of severe illness should avoid crowded and poorly ventilated spaces or consider vaccination, especially when traveling to areas where it is spreading, he said.
Meanwhile, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that this year’s first local case of dengue fever, reported on Saturday, was “a little bit early” compared with last year’s first local cases, which were announced on Aug. 25.
However, as the doctor who treated the case was cautious and immediately performed a dengue rapid test to confirm infection, the CDC believes the case might have only a limited impact, Tseng said.
The CDC also issued a notice to healthcare facilities, urging doctors to be extra vigilant in reporting suspected cases, to effectively reduce the risk of dengue transmission, she added.
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