ULAN BATOR, Jan 31 (NNN-APA) – A three-year-old boy died of meningococcal meningitis disease in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, today, according to the country’s National Centre for Communicable Diseases (NCCD).
The child, from Nalaikh district of the city, was admitted to the centre yesterday in critical condition, but succumbed to the disease today, despite medical intervention, the NCCD said, in a statement.
Additionally, a suspected case of meningococcal infection has been reported in Bayangol district, with laboratory test results pending, the centre said, urging the public to take preventive measures and remain vigilant against the disease.
Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, and can lead to severe infections in the brain’s protective linings, the blood, or both. If untreated, the infection can have a high mortality rate, but it is vaccine-preventable.
Common symptoms include sudden fever, vomiting, nausea, headache, stiff neck, backache, and increased sensitivity to light.
Last year, the country recorded two cases of meningococcal infection, according to the NCCD.– NNN-APA