According to the ARS, there is no link with the hyperendemia recorded last August in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Twelve cases, including one fatal, of a new variant of meningococcal B, had been declared.
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A two-year-old child died of lightning meningitis this weekend in Chambéry, France Bleu Pays de Savoie learned on Tuesday from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Health Agency (ARS), confirming information of the Dauphiné Libéré. He was enrolled in a nursery in the city.
“In accordance with the procedure in force within the framework of this notifiable disease, the people who have been in contact with the child during the period of contagiousness have been identified, informed and directed to receive preventive treatment”, specifies the ARS. People who have had recent close contact with the patient will be able to receive preventive treatment with antibiotics, as provided for in the directives of the Ministry of Health.
A preventive vaccination for 70 people
As “a serogroup Y meningococcus has been identified, additional vaccination with antibiotic prophylaxis is being organized for certain contacts”, explains the ARS to France Bleu Pays de Savoie. About 70 people, members of the child’s family, children and nursery staff, are affected by this preventive vaccination.
Meningococci, a bacteria commonly found in the throat, can sometimes trigger a serious disease, invasive meningococcal disease. The most common symptoms are fever and severe headache, often accompanied by vomiting. This fragile germ does not survive outside the body. The transmission therefore only takes place in direct contact.
The ARS indicates that there is no link with the hyperendemic situation recorded last August in the region. Twelve cases, including one fatal, of a new variant of meningococcal B, had been declared in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, recalls France Bleu Pays de Savoie. A vaccination campaign had been launched in a hundred municipalities in Savoie.