A few days after the death of a 23-year-old student from meningitis, in Carnon in the Hérault department, a 20-year-old young woman also died from the same type of infection on the night of May 14 to 15 , Montpellier. Here are the signs that should alert.
“Coline went to the emergency room in the middle of the night for headaches, vomiting and spots on the body”, explains a relative of the victim. “Soon her kidneys stopped working and she passed away on the morning of May 15th. Everything was extremely fast.”
Meningococcal meningitis C
A young 20-year-old woman died of meningitis on the night of May 14 to 15, in Montpellier. She had been admitted to Lapeyronie Hospital. The autopsy revealed that it was a meningococcal meningitis C. The ARS indicates that no link has been established between this death and that which occurred on May 4 in Carnon, where a 23-year-old student also lost his life as a result of meningococcal C meningitis.
He had complained to his family about a headache the night before, but didn’t worry. He would have tried to end it by taking the painkillers he had on hand. The next morning, his relatives found him in his bed, lifeless.
Preventative measure
A 16-year-old girl also died on March 29 of meningitis while she was at her home in Hauterives, in Drôme. On the suspicion of the Samu doctor who intervened, an autopsy was performed in Grenoble, which confirmed the meningitis. “The girl’s autopsy results confirmed this. But the meningococcal strain (A, B, C, W, Y) – the most severe form of meningitis – has not yet been determined,” then explained the ARS.
As a preventive measure, antibiotic treatment was offered to relatives of the deceased teenager: her family, members of her sports club, as well as the staff and students of the Gabriel-Faure high school in Tournon, in Ardèche, where she was. schooled. Nevertheless, “the germ being very fragile in the environment, the risks of transmission are very low. There is no need to disinfect the premises, nor to treat people who have had occasional contact with the sick person. “.
The signs that should alert
Remember that during the first 24 hours, a meningococcal infection usually results in headaches, vomiting and stiff neck. It can also give rise to septicemia, arthritis or even peritonitis.
Doctors don’t necessarily think about it right away, but 10% of patients infected with meningococcal strain W also have abdominal pain, according to a brand new study from the Institut Pasteur and the pediatric department of the Bicêtre AP-HP Hospital published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
“Faced with these stomach aches, the doctor will not first think of an invasive meningococcal infection. We think rather of gastroenteritis, or even appendicitis”, explains Muhamed-Kheir Taha, main author of the study. and head of the National Meningococcal Reference Center (CNRM) at the Institut Pasteur. “But if we delay in the detection and appropriate management of people affected by the disease, their vital prognosis may be engaged. Invasive meningococcal infection is a fatal disease in almost 100% of cases if we do not administer antibiotics quickly, “he insists.
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