It all starts in the United States, in March 2021. A 19-year-old young man visits a friend in the state of Massachusetts: for dinner, he picks from the fridge and heats up some leftover rice, Ordered chicken and noodles from the restaurant the night before.
Shortly after dinner, the young man began to feel ill: he was vomiting, he had a stomach ache, he was shivering, he felt weak… Over the following hours, his state of health worsened: muscle pain (myalgia) appears, as well as chest pain, difficulty breathing (dyspnea), headache, blurred vision, stiff neck… When his skin becomes covered with reddish / purplish spots (purpura ), his friend ends up taking him to the hospital.
A meningococcal infection that ends in amputation
The young man was quickly taken care of at Massachusetts General Hospital (United States). The doctors then learn that the patient’s friend had himself been ill (mainly with vomiting) the day before after eating the restaurant meal: the “faulty” leftovers were then stored in the fridge…
Thanks to biological examinations, the doctors finally identify the pathogenic agent: it is the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, also called “meningococcus”. The young man therefore suffers from purpura fulminans, an extremely serious infectious syndrome responsible for multi-organ failure.
According to the doctors’ report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the patient had been vaccinated against meningococcal infections… but had forgotten to receive his booster dose. In France, the vaccination against meningococcal infections of serogroup C is mandatory in infants born from January 1, 2018 with a first dose at the age of 5 months. The second dose is scheduled for 1 year of age.
After several days of hospitalization, the young man had to have his two legs and his fingers amputated. However, he made it out alive.
Read also :
- Meningitis in children: 7 warning signs that should alert
- Nina: meningococcal meningitis
- Infographic: Recognizing the Symptoms of Meningitis
