Health experts in Baguio are cautioning parents about the resurgence of Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) during the rainy season, emphasizing the urgency of prompt action as the illness can be fatal within a day.

As the rainy season arrives, health officials in Baguio are sounding the alarm on Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) — a rare yet swiftly progressing and lethal bacterial infection that can result in death within 24 hours.

Dr. Maria Lourdes Trajano, a pediatric neurologist at Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), highlighted the importance of early detection. “It can advance rapidly and become fatal within just 24 hours,” she cautioned, urging parents to seek immediate medical help at the first sign of symptoms.

IMD is caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, which spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or close personal contact. Once inside the body, it can lead to severe complications such as sepsis or meningitis.

Common symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and a purplish rash. Additional warning signs include cold extremities, muscle pain, lethargy, irritability, and rapid breathing.

The Philippines has one of the highest rates of meningococcal fatalities in Southeast Asia, with nearly half of cases resulting in death. The Cordillera Region experienced a deadly IMD outbreak from 2004 to 2006, with 418 cases and 134 deaths — 38 of which were in Baguio City alone, where almost half of the patients did not survive.

Survivors often grapple with long-term effects like hearing loss, learning disabilities, and physical impairments that can significantly impact a child's growth and quality of life.

Dr. Mary Crist Santos-Jamora, a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at BGHMC, reiterated the need for vigilance. “Because it can mimic the flu, parents may underestimate its severity until it's too late,” she cautioned. “Immediate medical intervention can be the difference between life and death.”

Jamora also highlighted that the B strain of meningococcal bacteria (serogroup B) has been predominant in the Philippines from 2018 to 2023, based on laboratory findings from pediatric patients.

She stressed that IMD continues to adapt and spread, particularly in the context of frequent human movement. “This disease hasn't disappeared,” she emphasized. “It remains a significant threat — and a dangerous one at that.”