CDC reports year's 1st whooping cough, meningococcal meningitis cases

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Taiwan recently recorded its first cases this year of whooping cough and meningococcal meningitis, both involving young children, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The case of whooping cough involved a 1-month-old boy, who developed a cough and runny nose on March 2 and breathing difficulties two days later, which a chest X-ray indicated was caused by pneumonia and bronchitis, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said at a press briefing.

After being admitted to a hospital ICU, the boy was diagnosed with whooping cough and treated with antibiotics, upon which his condition improved and he was discharged from the hospital on March 11, Lin said.

According to the CDC, Taiwan typically records between 0 and 30 whooping cough cases per year, around half of which are in children aged three months and below.

Taiwan's whooping cough vaccination is administered in five doses when a child reaches 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 18 months and 5 years of age. Expectant mothers can also be vaccinated against the disease in the 28th to 36th week of pregnancy, the CDC said.

The meningococcal meningitis case, meanwhile, was that of a 4-year-old girl from northern Taiwan, who in early March developed symptoms including fever, lethargy, stomach pains, vomiting and a cough, Lin said.

After several trips to local clinics failed to ease her symptoms, the girl developed purpura -- purple discolored spots caused by broken blood vessels under the skin -- and sought medical attention again.

This time, she was found to be suffering from high levels of inflammation, blood coagulation problems and septic shock, Lin said, adding that additional testing confirmed the diagnosis as meningococcal meningitis.

Following emergency treatment, the girl was able to be moved back to a general hospital ward, and is now fully conscious, able to breathe on her own, and not suffering from a fever, Lin said.

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the meninges -- layers of membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord -- that can cause severe brain damage and is often fatal.

According to CDC official Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳), Taiwan has recorded fewer than 10 meningococcal meningitis cases per year from 2015 to 2023, with the exception of 2017, when there was a cluster infection.

Common symptoms of the disease include a stiff neck, high fever, nausea, confusion, headaches and vomiting, Lin said.

Around 10-15 percent of meningococcal meningitis patients die even when identified and treated early, compared to around 40 percent when it is not treated at an early stage, Lin added.