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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
October 1, 2024
According to the Regional Health Agency, three students were hospitalized at the end of September in Grenoble after contracting meningitis. What measures have been deployed to the rest of the population? Who is affected by vaccination? The response from Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
This Monday, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) sounded the alert. Three students from Grenoble-Alpes University were hospitalized due to meningitis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges.
Three Grenoble students hospitalized
These are “three young students who were struck by the disease, indicates the Regional Health Agency (ARS) in a report published this Monday.
All were hospitalized between September 16 and 20 after contracting invasive meningococcal infection, a disease “which is transmitted by direct, close and prolonged contact with a sick person or a healthy carrier” and which manifests itself by headaches, vomiting, fever or even a stiff neck.
Good news though:Their state of health is now reassuring” and ” hasno new cases have been reported since September 20“, specifies the agency.
To preserve the close circle of the three students, preventive treatment was also administered to the people concerned.
“The subjects identified as contact – among the relatives and classmates of these three students – were informed and received preventive antibiotic treatment“, confirms the agency.
In this health context, a vaccination campaign will be organized by mid-October by the ARS and the Grenoble student health service.
In case of direct contact with a person suffering from meningococcal meningitis, “vaccination is recommended for some case contactsin addition to preventive antibiotic treatment” reveals Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
Thus, vaccination is recommended for:
- The patient’s close entourage“especially people living under the same roof” ;
- Young children”attending the same community (nursery, school) where promiscuity is significant” ;
The vaccine used depends on the meningococcal serogroup responsible for the infection:
- For meningococci A, C, W or Y: “a tetravalent ACWY vaccine is recommended within 10 days of contact”;
- For meningococcus B: “vaccination is generally not recommended for contacts of an isolated case” ;
Of course, vaccination must be carried out quickly, ideally within 10 days following contact with the patient.
“It complements antibiotic prophylaxis, which remains the main means of short-term prevention.“, the doctor further specifies, before continuing: “In certain situations, such as multiple cases occurring in a group, health authorities may expand vaccination recommendations to a larger group of people.“, he concludes.
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