Outbreak of rare bacterial disease
Exploding frogs, strange flesh eating bacteria, fireballs, and now some Bacterial meningitis to throw in the mix. Earth-- what is to become of it.NEW DELHI (AFP) - An outbreak of rare bacterial meningitis in the Indian capital has killed at least one of a dozen people infected, doctors said.
The Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi reported Monday that one of three patients admitted in the last fortnight had died, which head of medicine N.P. Singh described as "alarming."
Two other Delhi hospitals have admitted 10 patients with symptoms of bacterial meningitis.
"Technically, more than three cases in three months can be defined as an outbreak," Singh said.
S.P. Byotra, a senior consultant at Delhi's Sri Ganga Ram hospital warned that bacterial meningitis was "very serious."
"It might begin as a respiratory infection with cold, cough and a headache. Then, the bacteria can affect the brain. Skin rash and low blood pressure are the other symptoms," he said.
Unlike the common viral meningitis, the bacterium which causes the disease infects the fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord, he said.
It is spread by direct contact with droplets from the nose and mouth of infected people.
Delhi's health authorities were to meet Tuesday to decide on measures to try to control the disease, senior official H.C. Mehra said.
The outbreak was raised by federal lawmakers in India's parliament Monday.
Marxist MP Hannan Mollah urged the government to take "immediate steps" to prevent an epidemic, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Bacterial meningitis claimed 16 lives among 258 people affected in Chia earlier this year.
The disease was last reported in large numbers in India a decade ago.
posted by ... @ 6:06 PM
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