The outbreak of meningitis, with two confirmed cases, triggered the health alarm due to the high transmissibility and lethality of the disease.
The first case occurred in a 46-year-old woman inside the Palmasola prison; and the second, in a five-month-old baby, who lives in the southern part of the city. Both patients are in critical condition and intubated. due to the severity of the disease, which has a lethality of 15%.
The health authorities are investigating the origin of the contagion, but it is already known that the causes of the outbreaks are different pathogens.
The woman became ill with the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) and the baby with Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) which, together with Haemophilus influenzae type b, are responsible for causing most of the disease burden related to meningitis acute bacterial infection, generating high morbidity and mortality.
These bacteria cause more than half of the deaths from meningitis in the world and can lead to other problems, such as sepsis and pneumonia.
Meningitis affects the central nervous system and is highly contagious. It causes inflammation of the meninges, which are membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord. Meningeal inflammation due to infectious causes, particularly bacterial and viral infections, are the most frequent and the most important not only because of the magnitude of cases that occur annually, but also because of their potential to produce outbreaks.
“In general, it attacks all the people who can be infected somewhere with these germs. They are public health events of international importance. We have been in coordination with the Ministry of Health to make the notification because we must quickly contain it to avoid more cases,” said the Epidemiology manager of the Departmental Health Service (Sedes), Carlos Hurtado.
After the outbreak, health authorities have insisted on the importance of vaccination, This is because the bacteria that causes the disease in the five-month-old baby is prevented with the antineuococcal dose, which is part of the regular vaccination schedule. In the case of the bacteria that affected the woman, the vaccine (against meningococcus) is not available in the vaccination scheme, but it is possible to find it in the private sector.
Hurtado pointed out that containment actions include vaccination, preventive treatment for contacts, and disinfection in the places where the outbreaks occurred, especially in the prison, where the risk of transmission is higher due to confinement.
“It is a very worrying disease due to its high transmissibility, because it can produce large outbreaks in confined spaces, That is why sweeping actions were immediately carried out, mainly children were isolated and prophylactic treatments were given to 700 people with antibiotics to prevent other chaos,” Hurtado highlighted.
Vaccination
According to the World Health Organization, since 2022 several countries in the region, such as Argentina, have registered an increase in cases of meningitis caused by the three main bacteria responsible for the disease.
They attribute this situation to the drop in vaccination coverage in recent years, which generates an accumulation of susceptible people that favors the appearance of outbreaks.
In fact, Sedes believes that this is the case of the baby with meningitis, who also tested positive for coqueluche. The minor did not have the complete scheme of any of the doses that protect against these diseases.
The concern arises because the coverage of the antimucoccal vaccine does not even reach 50% in the department, like the pentavalent vaccine (which prevents coqueluche and other diseases).
In the case of the pneumococcal vaccine, children should receive the first dose at two months; the second, at four months; and the third, at six months. This not only provides direct protection for children, but is also essential to provide indirect protection for other age groups.
The symptoms
A stiff neck, fever, confusion or altered mental status, headaches, nausea, and vomiting are some of the symptoms of meningitis. It can also cause seizures and neurological deficits, for example, loss of hearing or vision, cognitive impairment or weakness of the extremities, and photophobia (increased sensitivity of the eyes to light).
The baby who is affected by meningitis developed a fever and convulsed. The same as the 46-year-old woman, who had fever, severe headache, and some neurological manifestations.
The World Health Organization notes that one in five people who survive bacterial meningitis may have long-lasting sequelae, such as: hearing loss, seizures, weakness of the extremities, problems with vision, speech, language, memory and communication, and limb amputations after sepsis.
The WHO warns that it causes serious long-term sequelae and has a high fatality rate. It indicates that many microorganisms can cause meningitis, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. It can affect people of any age.
Bacterial meningitis is of particular concern. About one in ten people who get this type of meningitis die and one in five presents serious complications. Vaccines are the most effective way to provide long-lasting protection
Meningitis affects all ages, young children are the most at risk. Newborns get sick from group B streptococcus and young children from meningococci, pneumococci, and haemophilus influenzae. Adolescents and young adults are more at risk of contracting meningococcal infections, while older people are more prone to contracting pneumococcal infections.
How is it transmitted?
The route of transmission varies depending on the organism. Most bacteria that cause meningitis, such as meningococcus, pneumococcus, and haemophilus influenzae, are carried by humans in the nose and the throat.
They are spread from person to person through respiratory droplets or throat secretions. Group B strep is usually found in the intestine or vagina of humans and is passed from mother to child at the time of delivery. One of the prevention measures with biosecurity measures, which is why they are also being implemented in the prison where an outbreak was registered in the capital of Santa Cruz.
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The patient is intubated and in poor general condition, and due to his clinical manifestations, a coqueluche sample was taken for which he also tested positive for this disease.
