More meningitis cases, but no new deaths By Jiang Zhuqing and Liang Qiwen (China Daily) Updated: 2005-02-01 03:06
No new patients died of meningitis yesterday though a few more infectious
cases were reported around the nation.
Meanwhile, medical experts warned that Anhui Province, where the disease has
led to the death of eight people, is facing short supplies of suitable vaccine.
 A child is
vaccinated against meningitis in Chuzhou, east China's Anhui
province January 30, 2005. [newsphoto] | The
disease of cerebro-spinal meningitis can be caused by 13 groups of bacteria. Of
those A, B and C bacteria are the three major groups that are responsible for
the present situation in China, Zhou Zhiping, a doctor with the army's 302
Hospital in Beijing said on Sunday.
Previous vaccine injected by people was to prevent an outbreak of the
meningitis caused by group A bacteria, Zhou said. Meanwhile, the ongoing
outbreak of meningitis in Anhui, as well some other places, was caused by group
C of meningitis diplococcus.
Zhou told the Beijing News that his hospital has neither received a
meningitis patient affected by group C bacteria, nor was it equipped with
corresponding vaccine.
Reports said there is only one pharmacy in China that could produce vaccine
against group C bacteria and its production capacity is limited.
Meanwhile, disease control departments in relevant regions have reacted
immediately and efficiently to deal with the outbreak of the disease as well to
curb the spread of possible panic, health officials said.
Incomplete statistics indicated that less than 100 cases of cerebro-spinal
meningitis were reported in Anhui, Jiangsu, Jilin and Guangdong provinces by the
end of January, reports said.
A total of 61 cases have been found in East China's Anhui, making it the
largest victim of the outbreak, reports said.
Wang Jianguo, vice-director of the Anhui Provincial Centre of Disease Control
and Prevention, said continuous studies on the spread of group C bacteria as
well its distribution are being conducted by medical researchers.
"The situation of all the six patients affected by meningitis is stable after
hospitalization in Tangyang Township," said Jiang Renjie, an official with the
local disease control and prevention centre of Yancheng in Jiangsu Province.
He said that the provincial disease control centre has allocated more than
50,000 doses of vaccine, mainly for children in the city of Yancheng.
Only one man has contracted meningitis in Guangzhou, capital of South China's
Guangdong, since December 2004, reports said.
The patient has recovered and left hospital, said Tang Xiaoping, director of
Guangzhou People's No 8 Hospital, a special hospital for infectious diseases.
The patient, a 19-year-old migrant worker from South China's Guangxi Zhuang
Autonomous Region, was affected by meningitis bacteria through his respiratory
system when he was working, reports said.
On December 31, he was sent into the Guangzhou People's No 8 Hospital for
treatment and has left the hospital half a month ago after recovery, director
Tang said.
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