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Vigilance if you go out in crowded places. The Grand-Est Regional Health Agency (ARS) reports several reports of invasive meningococcal infections this fall in young adults in Strasbourg, visibly contracted in bars and nightclubs.
This is an alert that we could do without but which should invite us to remain vigilant as winter approaches: according to the Grand-Est Regional Health Agency, several cases of invasive meningococcal infections (IMD) in young adults have been reported in Strasbourg and its conurbation. The agency states:At least four cases of IIM have been reported since November in people who have frequented nightlife venues such as nightclubs and bars..
Targeting only this area for the moment, the alert is aimed at people who have regularly visited festive places in this district since November 18 and invites them to watch for symptoms suggestive of the disease.
What is an invasive meningococcal infection?
There are several types of meningococci, the most common in France being group B, C, W and Y meningococci. Meningococci are bacteria normally present in the throat and nose. They can be transmitted by air or by saliva via direct, close (less than 1 meter) and prolonged contact.
If most often, meningococci do not cause any particular illnesses, in some cases, they can cause very serious and potentially fatal illnesses such as meningitis or septicemia, hence the importance of knowing the signs to call for help. rapidly.
What are the suggestive signs of invasive meningococcal disease?
There are many symptoms associated with this infection.
- Severe headaches;
- Sensitivity to light;
- A stiff neck;
- Body aches with fatigue;
- A poorly tolerated high fever;
- One or more rapidly appearing red or purplish spots on the body.
These last two symptoms being the most revealing, in case of appearance, it is advisable to contact center 15.
Should we expect more cases in France?
Should this alert given by the Grand-Est region make us fear other appearances of the same type throughout the territory? Contacted by Doctissimo, Dr. Hervé Haas, head of the pediatrics department at the Princess Grace Hospital Center (CHPG), and expert in childhood epidemics also urges us to be cautious:
“I am not very surprised, moreover the national reference center has already noted it, there is currently an upsurge in cases” he reacts.
An increase in risk that he attributes to two notable factors:
“For two years, there were no more cases, a good number of viruses no longer circulated and people no longer became immune between masks and social distancing, which was the goal” he adds. “Today, between the contacts which resume intensely among young people, the cold, and the viruses already in place (bronchiolitis, rhinovirus and the flu which is coming) all the factors are there for viral epidemics to multiply.
But the doctor also points to another aggravating factor that he underlines:
“To this is added the fact that many adolescents are not vaccinated, either because they do not follow the recommendations with regard to meningococcal C, or because there are no recommendations for the other groups B, C, W and Y. That’s a problem”.