An 18-year-old woman from the Rennes (Iille-Et-Vilaine region) died on Monday, February 3, after meningococcal meningitis B, according to information from Oust-France, Confirmed by the BFMTV Regional Health Agency (ARS) this Wednesday, February 5.
Ars Bortagne, locally responsible for the application of public health policy, has been identified in recent days the grouped cases of this infection at the high mortality rate. This is what we know about this situation.
• Cases grouped within a family
Since January 31, Ars Brittany “has managed a family situation of Meningococcus B at Ille-Et-Vilaine (Rennes and Chantepie) in a family. Forty people have been identified as contacts and have benefited from antibiotic treatment, adds the Ars.
Within this house, an 18 -year -old woman died of this disease. Two people “are always hospitalized at the Hospital of the University of Rennes with a state of improvement”, and a patient is “in surveillance,” the agency specifies.
According to our information, the deceased young woman was not the initial case, she was in contact. After presenting the symptoms of a conventional influenza syndrome, his disease has experienced a dazzling evolution.
• Direct contact transmission
According to the Pasteur Institute, specialized in infectious diseases, “Meningitis is a spinal cord infection and the envelopes surrounding the brain, meninges, caused by various types of viruses, bacteria and fungi.” Meningococci are bacteria that constitute the main causes of acute meningitis.
The bacteria is transmitted by air or saliva, particularly by cough and postillons, explains Ars Auverne-Rhône-Alpes in place. This The transmission is performed by direct contact, close (less than one meter) and prolonged with a sick person or a healthy carrier. Beyond the symptoms, the diagnosis is made after lumbar puncture.
• Fever, rigid neck …
The main signs of meningococcal meningitis are the following, according to Ars Bretany: high fever, intense and persistent headaches, rigid neck, nausea and vomiting, discomfort with living light, confusion, drowsiness, appearance of spots or skin routes, muscle , muscle, muscle and joint pain.
Meningococcal infections are treated in antibiotic “as quickly as possible,” according to the Pasteur Institute. An antibiotic treatment is also recommended for those close to infected people to prevent contagios. The disease can also be prevented by vaccination for certain types of meningococcus. Since January 1, the meningococcal B vaccine has been remarkably mandatory for all babies, with a first injection at the age of 3 months, a second injection at the age of 5 months and a reminder at the age of 12 months.
“Newborns and young children run the greatest risk of developing the disease,” said the Pasteur Institute. In France, around 500 to 600 people per year are affected by a severe meningococcal infection (meningitis but also sepsis), according to the same source. The mortality rate for bacterial meningitis is 10%, according to the Institute.
In case of symptoms, health authorities recommend consulting a doctor in an emergency or calling 15.
Source: BFM TV
