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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
56,000 young people aged 16 to 24 and babies aged 0 to 2 recently received an invitation to be vaccinated against a new variant of meningococcal B after new cases were detected.
This is a worrying situation that is emerging in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. In just one year, 12 cases of bacterial meningitis have been detected, causing one death and several serious cases. The infection of two new people at the end of July led to a massive vaccination campaign: a letter sent to 56,000 young people aged 16 to 24, the population most at risk, and to parents of children aged 0 to 2, mainly targeting the Rhone and Savoy.
A precaution taken in the face of a new variant
Why are health authorities concerned? Quite simply because the latest infections in the region concern a variant of meningococcal B which is not yet known and whose scientific data have not yet been determined. According to Anne-Sophie Ronneaux-Baron, head of the regional health monitoring center at ARS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, interviewed by the Dauphiné Libéré ” We have no particular indication whether this variant is more dangerous or more contaminating, but the situation is sufficiently worrying for us to put in place this strong recommendation for vaccination against meningococcal B for these categories of population in these sectors ” . Unlike forms A or C, form B is not recognized as being responsible for an epidemic, but can nevertheless lead to sequelae or even death.
Bacterial meningitis: what are the symptoms to know?
For the emergency doctor Gérald Kierzek, it is not a question of creating a movement of panic among the parents, but above all of knowing the symptoms suggesting meningitis:
In young adults: the symptoms of meningococcal B are quite telling and are part of what is called febrile meningeal syndrome, i.e.:
- Fever
- Intense headaches
- Very high sensitivity to light
- A stiffness in the neck
In young children, symptoms may be more difficult to determine. But two reactions can evoke a medical emergency:
- A change in behavior, with fever
- And most importantly, the appearance of purpura fulminans, red or purplish spots on the child’s body.
“In this case, it is a direct call to 15, for emergency care and treatment with antibiotics” challenges the doctor, who also recalls that the vaccine against meningococcal B has been included in the child’s vaccination schedule since April 2022.
The vaccination against meningococcal infections serogroup It is compulsory for infants born from January 1, 2018 with a first dose at the age of 5 months. This vaccination is recommended for unvaccinated people up to the age of 24.
Vaccination against meningococcal infections serogroup B is recommended for all infants, with a first dose at 3 months of age. This vaccination is recommended for unvaccinated children up to the age of 2 years.
There are also vaccines against meningococcal infections of serogroups A, C, Y and W (vaccines tetravalents ACYW135). A vaccine bivalent against meningococci A and C is available but it is reserved only for specific situations in infants from 6 months to 1 year.
Who are the contact subjects?
However, meningococcus B does not affect the entire population and should not raise fears of an uncontrolled epidemic. According to the website solidarites-sante.gouv.fr, the qualification of subject contact occurs in only certain cases:
- In young and unvaccinated subjects.
- Who live under the same roof as a case, or in community with it.
- With an exposure of less than one meter and face-to-face with an infected person.
- Within 10 days of the onset of a case.
Outside of these circumstances, subjects are not considered contacts.