After the death of 3 people in Nice at the end of February, a 19-year-old man died of lightning menigitis Thursday morning in Aulnay-sous-Bois.
A 4th death due to meningitis again mourns the Hexagon. A 19-year-old young man died Thursday morning of lightning meningitis at the Robert-Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). Admitted the night before, he died just a few hours after the first symptoms appeared. Forty people who rubbed shoulders with the victim, including eleven hospital employees received preventive antibiotic treatment.
Three other people died of the same disease in Nice at the end of February. Two of the victims belonged to the same family: a 29-year-old man who died Sunday, February 23 at L’Archet hospital in Nice, and his 22-year-old brother-in-law, who died two days earlier at his home. The third person died on February 22 from meningococcal B meningitis, a highly pathogenic infection.
700 cases reported each year
Meningitis, an inflammation of the meninges – the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord – can affect anyone, but especially children and adolescents. Each year, around 700 cases are reported in France. In 2012, out of the 559 meningococcal infections identified, 46 people died.
What are the symptoms of this disease? High fever, heightened sensitivity to light, stiff neck, severe headache, and finally nausea and vomiting.
If these 4 cases are very close in time, this does not mean that France is hit by a meningitis epidemic. The Regional Health Agency reassured the population, saying that “although the occurrence of cases of invasive meningococcal infection mobilizes health authorities and health professionals, the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d ‘region Azure [où ont survenu les 3 premiers décès] is not experiencing an epidemic situation ”.
The best solution is to be vaccinated against the bacteria responsible for serious meningitis (meningococcus, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type B). Moreover, in the case of meningococcal meningitis, preventive treatment is recommended in the entourage of the person who declares this disease. It lasts two days and concerns all people who have attended the same community as the patient (nursery, school, college, high school, business, etc.) even if they have not had direct contact with him. In addition, people in regular and repeated contact with the patient are vaccinated (excluding serogroup B meningococcus).
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