According to the World Health Organization, meningococcal infection is classified as a global threat to humanity.. But since medicine does not stand still, it is still possible to change without giving up timely vaccinations..

Know the enemy by sight.

The infection is bacterial. Its causative agent is the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, which looks like an overripe peach under a microscope.. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets from person to person: when sneezing, coughing, hugging, kissing, as well as when using shared dishes, sleeping together, etc..

The insidiousness of meningococcal infection in the asymptomatic incubation period. Or an excellent disguise for nasopharyngitis - with symptoms of a sore throat, swelling and redness of the throat mucosa, a profuse runny nose and sometimes fever. The place of localization of the bacteria is the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. It is there, after entering the body, that it begins to actively multiply..

In the future, the bacteria inevitably enter the bloodstream and the brain, thereby provoking rapidly developing conditions, most often leading to the death of the infected:.

• meningococcemia - sepsis, which causes damage to various human organs;

• meningococcal meningitis - an inflammatory process in the membranes of the brain.

Symptoms.

Meningococcemia is characterized by:.

•high temperature - usually up to 40°;

•chills;

• significant tachycardia (rapid heartbeat);

•low blood pressure;

• sudden appearance of a dark rash all over the body, which does not disappear when you press on the place of the rash.

Meningitis can be recognized by the following symptoms:.

• excessive tension of the occipital muscles (the medical term is rigidity), which does not allow you to press your head to your chest;

•headache - in infants it can be recognized by a sharp piercing cry;

• strong photophobia;

• incessant vomiting;

• confusion;

• prolonged convulsions.

Nonspecific symptoms that often accompany meningococcal disease in children are drowsiness and irritability..

For diagnosis in a medical institution, a lumbar puncture is performed - a collection of cerebrospinal fluid with a syringe. Today it is the most informative and accurate diagnostic method..

Treatment and consequences of the disease.

A special group of antibiotics, as well as antiviral and antifungal drugs, are used to treat meningococcal infection.. Due to the fact that the disease is characterized by the rapidity of the course, therapy should be started as soon as possible.. Thus, you can reduce the risk of disability and significantly increase the chances of recovery..

Unfortunately, inexorable statistics indicate that a lethal outcome is recorded in every fifth case in the presence of therapy and in every second - in its absence..

As for those who have recovered from meningococcal infection, every fifth patient suffers from serious consequences of the disease, which are the cause of his disability.. These include:.

• consequences of damage to the meninges - deafness, epilepsy, impaired mental development in children;

• the consequences of a rash - ulcers with necrotic elements, provoking the development of gangrene, requiring complete or partial amputation of the limbs.

Persons at risk.

Those most at risk of contracting meningococcal disease are:.

•age category - up to 5 years;

•age category - from 13 to 17 years old.

Among adults, the most susceptible are the elderly (60 years and older).

The risk group also includes medical workers, residents of hostels, pupils and employees of round-the-clock institutions (sanatoriums, dispensaries, orphanages), conscripts of the first year of military service.

Prevention: is there any hope

In addition to hygiene and measures aimed at strengthening immunity, the only effective prevention of infection is vaccination.. Doses should be administered three times to children at an early age - 3 months, 4.5 months, 6 months and a booster per year.

Non-specific methods of prevention include:.

• a ban on swimming in open water for children under 5 years old;

• refusal to travel to areas that are recognized as potentially dangerous;

• do not contact with animals and use repellents, as some types of arthropods are carriers of meningococcus.

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