Vaccination refused, infection, hospitalization... What we know about the new cases of meningitis in Rennes

Two young people, aged 16 and 18, were hospitalized in Rennes in serious condition with meningococcal meningitis , an infection that carries a high mortality rate and a high risk of after-effects. Since the beginning of the year, cases have been increasing, prompting authorities to accelerate vaccination.

Two boys aged 16 and 18 were hospitalized in intensive care at the Rennes University Hospital after contracting meningococcal meningitis , the Brittany regional health agency (ARS) said in a press release.

"The sequencing of the strains of these two cases of invasive meningococcal serogroup B infections will be carried out by the National Reference Center of the Pasteur Institute," specifies the ARS.

The 16-year-old patient has been hospitalized since Monday, April 28. According to our information, he attended a party on Saturday. The urgent task for health authorities is therefore to identify potential contact cases, i.e., people who spent at least one hour within one meter of patients during the three to four days preceding the onset of symptoms.

The 18-year-old has been hospitalized since Wednesday, April 30. It is not yet known whether he attended the same party as the other youth.

Furthermore, according to our information, one of the two young people hospitalized had refused the meningococcal vaccination launched in March in Rennes after the death of an 18-year-old woman .

Meningococci are bacteria that are the major causes of acute meningitis, a serious infection of the spinal cord and the membranes surrounding the brain.

"The mortality rate from bacterial meningitis is 10%" and "one in five people may have lasting after-effects," says the Pasteur Institute .

The bacteria is transmitted through the air or through saliva, particularly through coughing and spitting, explains the ARS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on its website . This transmission occurs through direct, close (less than one meter) and prolonged contact with a sick person or with a healthy carrier. Beyond the symptoms, the diagnosis is made following a lumbar puncture.

The main signs of meningococcal meningitis include high fever, severe and persistent headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, discomfort in bright light, confusion, drowsiness, red or purple spots on the skin, and muscle and joint pain.

Meningococcal infections are treated with antibiotics "as quickly as possible," according to the Pasteur Institute. Antibiotic treatment is also recommended for those close to infected individuals to prevent further spread.

According to the latest figures from Public Health France, more than 600 cases of meningococcal infections have already been recorded since the beginning of the year, a level not seen since 2010.

To stem this rise, meningococcal vaccination, already expanded since January, will be extended further. Health Minister Yannick Neuder has decided to "intensify the vaccination strategy to better protect populations most at risk from meningitis," the ministry stated in a press release issued Thursday, April 24.

The increase had already been noticeable for several years, which had led health authorities to already expand vaccination in response to the rise of new strains: A, Y and W, the latter being particularly deadly. They have almost supplanted meningococcus C, which was uniquely targeted by a vaccine. However, strain B - the target of another vaccine - remains the most widespread .

Since January, babies under the age of one year were required to receive a vaccine targeting A, C, W and Y - and no longer just C. This will now be mandatory for all children under two, as is already the case for the B vaccine.

The ministry is also introducing a catch-up vaccination program for babies who have not been vaccinated on time. All affected children under five will be required to receive the ACWY and B vaccines. Already recommended for all 11- to 14-year-olds, an ACWY booster will be the subject of a campaign in middle schools, alongside the current campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV).

Finally, a catch-up campaign - B and ACWY - will target 15-24 year-olds who are not up to date with their vaccinations, based on the model recently implemented in Rennes after the death of a young patient.