At the Marseille shipyards, 13 people working on the renovation of a cruise ship were affected by a pneumococcal infection. The Regional Health Agency (ARS) has therefore decided to launch a general vaccination operation for all the people working on this renovation site.
Pneumonia kills 10,000 people a year
Pneumococcus is a bacteria that we all carry, but when it passes into the blood, it can cause serious bacterial infections such as meningitis, sepsis or pneumonia. Often underestimated, pneumonia kills three times more people than road accidents: 10,000 people die from it each year in France. According to the CGT union from the Marseille shipyard, two workers affected by penumococcus would also be on respiratory assistance.
A compulsory vaccine since January 2018
The pneumococcal vaccine (two injections followed by a booster) has been mandatory in children since January 1, 2018. The infant receives 2 injections at the age of 2 months and 4 months, followed by a booster. 11 months old.
For children born before January 2018 and adults, the vaccine is recommended for people “at risk”: immunocompromised patients and patients who suffer from a disease that predisposes them to pneumococcal infection.
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