The Grand-Est Regional Health Agency (ARS) warns of cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IIM), a fatal meningitis, which led to the death of one of the four young people who had frequented the same festive places in Strasbourg .
- Despite treatment, meningococcal meningitis can be fatal in 9% to 12% of cases.
- There are effective vaccines against certain types of meningococci, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
Meningococcal meningitis is rare in France but they can kill and have made a new victim. In Strasbourg, a person died after contracting this pathology in a nightclub.
Meningitis is transmitted through close and prolonged contact
The victim was one of four young people, aged 19 to 33, who had been diagnosed since the beginning of November and who had all frequented nighttime festive places (discotheques, bars, etc.) in Strasbourg’s inner city. , including the establishment of the “LIVE CLUB”. The other three people have undergone antibiotic treatment and are no longer sick, said the Grand Est Regional Health Agency (ARS) in a press release relayed by France 3 Great East.
There are several types of meningococci, says the Ministry of Health and Prevention. “The most common in France are group B, C, W and Y meningococci. Meningococci are bacteria normally present in the throat and nose of many people. These bacteria can be transmitted through the air or through saliva. Meningococcus does not survive in the external environment. Its transmission is human-to-human and requires close (less than 1 meter) and prolonged contact.”.
What are the symptoms of meningitis?
The health authority invites people who regularly attend festive places in this district since November 18 to monitor the symptoms suggestive of the disease: fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck and one or more red or purple spots of rapid onset. (purpura). In case of doubt, it is recommended to call 15 in emergency. The Regional Health Agency calls on health professionals to a “extreme vigilance if new patients arrive with the same symptoms“, reports the communication service of the ARS.