“As of January 5, 2023, six cases ofinvasive meningococcal infections (IMD) of group B linked to the same bacterial strain occurred in Alsace“, indicated the ARS of the Grand-Est in a communicated published on January 9, 2023. Five cases of meningitis were identified in the Strasbourg conurbation and one in Colmar. All infected people frequented the same bars and nightclubs in downtown Strasbourg, “including the establishment Le Live Club“, specifies the ARS.
She also invitespeople who regularly attend festive places in this district since November 18, to monitor the symptoms suggestive of the disease and, if in doubt, to call 15 in an emergency“. A first death was reported on December 1st.
In this context, a vaccination campaign against meningococcal type B was launched on December 7, 2022 in order to limit its circulation and reduce the appearance of serious forms: “VSgiven the progression of the epidemic, vaccination is now recommended for all people attending festive places in the city center of Strasbourg“, continues the press release. As of January 5, 2023, 151 people have received a first dose of the vaccine.
What are the symptoms suggestive of the disease? Violent headaches, sensitivity to light, aches and fatigue, as well as fever, red or purplish subcutaneous spots on the body, abdominal pain and nausea or vomiting can alert.
Airborne or saliva transmission
There are several types of meningococcal infections, the most frequent in France being those of groups B, C, W and Y. These bacteria normally present in the throat and nose of many people can be transmitted through the air or through saliva and do not survive in the external environment.
Thus, for transmission to take place, there must be a human-to-human relationship via direct contact, close to less than one meter and prolonged. Some people can be healthy carriers: they will never develop symptoms but can still transmit the bacteria.
And if these meningococci most of the time do not cause particular diseases, they can sometimes cause serious diseases such as meningitis (inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord) or sepsis (blood infections). Two symptoms should particularly alert: a poorly tolerated high fever and one or several red or purplish spots rapidly appearing on the body.
In August, a vaccination campaign against meningitis was launched in Savoie and in the east of Lyon, after the discovery of 12 cases of a new variant of meningococcal type B, including one fatal, in young people aged 16. at 24 years old.
#Meningitis | Dr. Forestier, infectious disease specialist at CH Métropole Savoie, provides an update on infections #meningococcus B observed in Chambéry and eastern Lyon
Vaccination and booster are always open to 16-24 year olds in the sectors concernedhttps://t.co/4u6yYOGdwPpic.twitter.com/G7POy7yrJ3– ARS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (@ARS_ARA_SANTE) January 5, 2023
Source :
- ARS of the Grand-Est
