On the platform of Line 1 at Franklin-Roosevelt station in Paris, it’s impossible to miss them. British swimmer Ellie Challis, Italian sprinter Davide Morana and French swimmer Théo Curin, who opened the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, are featured on glossy paper. With their prostheses or in their wheelchairs, these athletes with multiple amputated limbs pose side by side, their gaze determined. Beside them, a conquering slogan: “Athletes: 1; meningitis: 0”.
With their eyes glued to their phones or deep in thought, some users don’t necessarily notice them. But when they stop to look at the poster, they admit that it has an effect. “There meningitisit is important to talk about it, we must vaccinate”says a hurried passenger before the train doors close. This is precisely the objective of this awareness campaign, visible from August 13 to September 10 in the Paris metro, initiated in collaboration by the Meningitis Research Foundation, the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations and the French laboratory Sanofi.
Ellie Challis, Davide Morana and Théo Curin all contracted meningitis at different times in their lives. In the photo, the three para-athletes each carry a flag in the fight against this infection which affects the meninges, the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord, as Vidal points out.
Created for the occasion, this banner is made up of three elements: a yellow circle for the patient symbolizing hope; the purple triangle, pointing upwards to evoke the speed of progress against the disease and referring to the support given to families; blue for the determination to defeat this scourge. “We want to make it a symbol for meningitis like the pink ribbon is for breast cancer.”explains to franceinfo Charles Wolf, the France director of Sanofi. The flag is accompanied by the motto “protect, support, conquer”.
To highlight this, the Paralympic Games come at just the right time. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate awareness”believes Charles Wolf. This campaign is in addition to the roadmap unveiled at the end of April by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Called “Defeating meningitis by 2030”this initiative aims not only to eliminate epidemics of bacterial meningitis, but also to make life easier for people with disabilities as a result of these infections. More than 2.5 million people suffer from it worldwide, including 500,000 from meningitis caused by a bacterium, meningococcus, according to figures from the Pasteur Institute.
“The incidence [le nombre de cas pour 100 000 habitants] of invasive meningococcal infections is 0.8 in France, or about 500 cases per year. But it is a 100% fatal disease if it is not treated and even if it is treated optimally, it is still fatal in 10% of cases”explains Muhamed-Kheir Taha, head of the invasive bacterial infections unit at the national reference center for meningococcus at the Pasteur Institute.
In 25% of cases, the disease leaves lifelong after-effects. “It’s a total injustice for which we are not necessarily prepared, estimates the professor. One can lose one’s life or one’s limbs or part of one’s faculties in a few hours.” But a certain lack of awareness persists among the general public.
On the front line for prevention, several associations of the collective Together against meningitis have been warning for many years. Annie Hamel, secretary of the association Petit Ange together against meningitis, deplores a lack of “awareness” on the subject. “I have plenty of examples: the families of victims discover the disease, the symptoms are difficult to spot and it ends in tragedy.” “It happens that general practitioners – a minority, certainly – are not aware of the risks”adds Jimmy Voisine, president of Méningites France – Audrey association.
With the Paris Games, several athletes affected by meningitis have acted as spokespeople for the cause. Among them, the example of British swimmer Ellie Challis and her two Paralympic titles in the 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle (S3 category) is symbolic. A victim of meningitis at the age of 16 months, she wanted to “to show people that no, life is not over when you’ve had meningitis, no matter how bad it is. You can still do great and beautiful things, which is what I try to prove when I swim”she assured in Release after his gold medal in the 50 meters.
The story of Italian foil fencer Bebe Vio, a double gold medallist in Rio and Tokyo and bronze winner in Paris, is also emblematic. Having had all four limbs amputated at the age of 11 after contracting fulminating meningitis, she is very well-known in her country and on social media. In 2009, she co-founded the Art4Sport association to help amputee children access sport.
Théo Curin did not participate in these Games, but was one of their ambassadors. Having had all four limbs amputated at the age of six following meningitis, the 24-year-old swimmer was one of the main faces of the opening ceremony. Although he has left competition aside, he is pursuing a career on France Télévisions as presenter of the show “Slam”, on France 2, starting Monday.
The Swiss sprinter Abassia Rahmani was present as an athlete in Paris. “It is important for me to be there and to show that we can rebuild”she proclaimed to franceinfo, just after her qualification in the 100 meters (T64 category), Thursday at the Stade de France.
“The Paralympic Games are first and foremost about sport. I don’t really think about my illness, because it was a very delicate moment, but for those who watch them, it’s useful to know the athletes’ journeys.”
Abassia Rahmani, sprinterto franceinfo
Amputee at the age of 16, she had to relearn how to walk, do a lot of weight training to be able to reproduce everyday activities. This long and difficult reconstruction, Flavio Da Pozzo, 22, also experienced it. He contracted meningococcal septicemia in 2021 which “left a 1% chance of survival”. With his right leg amputated, the man who dreamed of becoming a footballer turned to the long jump. “It is difficult to rebuild, he confesses. After an amputation, there are people’s looks to tame, you have to learn to look at yourself with a new body and sometimes find something to do with your life.”
The success of affected athletes is one way to illustrate their resilience. “They are making people talk about it, we needed ambassadors”savors Muhamed-Kheir Taha. But more than performances or medals, the Pasteur Institute and Sanofi want to highlight prevention. “The message is not just: ‘Look at what we can do despite the disease,’ but rather: ‘Look at the effects.'”insists Professor Muhamed-Kheir Taha, who also points out the societal and financial cost of the infection. “These para-athletes are proud to have been able to get back up, but no one wants this type of tragedy to happen again, even when we have overcome them”adds Charles Wolf.
Not all patients have access to the types of help or care for the after-effects of the disease that these para-athletes have had, even in Western countries. This is why institutions insist on the importance of vaccination. But “France is lagging behind”judge Annie Hamel, whose son died from the disease. Vaccination against serogroup C meningococcus is mandatory for infants born since January 1, 2018. Vaccination against invasive infections due to serogroup B meningococcus is recommended for all infants, recalls health insurance.
Finally, vaccination will be extended, from January 1, 2025, to meningococcus A, B, W and Y, still for babies under one year old. “Vaccines exist, let’s use them”insists Flavio Da Pozzo. “Prevention will always be our best weapon,” warns Muhamed-Kheir Taha. As autumn approaches, the associations are ready to take over: “People were in a festive spirit and passionate about the competition, health was not necessarily their primary concern, concludes Jimmy Voisine. Once the Games are over, minds will be more open and it will be up to us to continue to raise awareness.”