ULAN BATOR, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported a second fatal case of meningococcal meningitis disease this year, according to the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) on Friday.
A five-year-old boy from the central-west Mongolian province of Arkhangai was admitted to the local hospital with a symptom of high fever and rash, and was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis. Despite the immediate necessary treatment being provided, the child died last Tuesday, the NCCD said in a statement.
According to Mongolian doctors, meningococcal infections are caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, which affects the membranes of the human brain and spinal cord.
In view of this, the country's NCCD urged parents to pay attention to the symptoms of meningitis at an early stage among their children and seek emergency medical care immediately.
Common meningitis symptoms include headache, fever, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, light and sound sensitivity, rash, and neurological symptoms.
In January, a three-year-old boy died of meningococcal meningitis disease in Ulan Bator, according to the NCCD. ■
