The Dangers of Neisseria Meningitidis: Symptoms, Risks, and Prevention

2023-07-07 09:23:08

At the initial stage of the disease, the Neisseria meningitidis bacterium manifests itself as if a person has ARVI – fever, weakness, runny nose. At this point, everything can stop if the immune system has enough protective power to cope with the infection. In severe situations, meningitis and sepsis develop. On July 7, the department of Rospotrebnadzor for St. Petersburg told regarding this.

The fact that the course of the disease went according to a bad scenario and meningitis developed is indicated by a severe headache, photophobia, neck muscle tension, and nausea. In this situation, everything can end in sepsis, an emerging rash on the skin, high fever speaks of it. With this development of events, complications may occur: convulsions, hearing loss or deafness, paresis. There is a high risk of limb amputation.

According to experts from Rospotrebnadzor, with a septic form of the disease, the mortality rate averages 15%. But in children under one year old and adults over 65 years of age, the risk of death increases to 30% or more, disability occurs in 10–15% of cases.

It depends not only on how quickly the infection “takes over” the body, but also on the time of seeking medical help: the sooner you get it, the more likely you are to avoid the development of an unfavorable scenario.

Everyone can become a victim of the dangerous bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, since it is transmitted by airborne droplets, less often by household contact. The source of spread can be a sick person or a bacteriocarrier.

Only vaccination can protect once morest meningococcal disease. An expensive vaccine has recently been included in the National Immunization Calendar, which means that you can get vaccinated for free: for preschoolers before entering child care facilities, for children and adults in foci of meningococcal infection, for people from high-risk groups of infection. In this case, the vaccine is administered twice only to children under the age of 2 years, older than 2 years, and adults are given a single vaccination.

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