13-year-old boy suddenly has severe headache due to dangerous brain disease that can be transmitted through droplets

On May 6, Thu Duc City Hospital (HCMC) announced that recently, doctors here received and treated a child patient with dangerous meningitis.

The patient, HVT (13 years old, living in Binh Duong province), was admitted to the hospital on the evening of April 25 with symptoms of high fever, severe headache and drowsiness lasting 2 days. Based on the signs and evaluation tests, doctors discovered that the patient had meningococcal meningitis.

This is a dangerous medical emergency, requiring rapid diagnosis and intervention. The patient was actively treated with antibiotics combined with supportive measures, and after 3 days of intervention, there was positive progress. Currently, the child's health is recovering well.

A boy with meningococcal meningitis is being treated at the hospital (Photo: BV).

Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Ha Phuong, Head of the Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care, shared that meningococcal bacteria (Neisseria meningitidis) is being warned by medical experts as one of the dangerous agents causing meningitis and sepsis in children.

In particular, this disease can progress rapidly and cause serious consequences (such as hearing loss, limb weakness, seizures or brain damage...) if not detected and treated promptly.

According to research, meningococcal bacteria can spread through the respiratory tract through droplets from infected people. The most vulnerable groups are infants and adolescents.

In the US, the incidence of the disease in children ranges from 0.5 to 1.1 cases per 100,000 people, with children under 1 year of age at higher risk. In Vietnam, although the disease is not common, it still has the potential to become an epidemic if not well controlled.

The most vulnerable group to meningococcal meningitis are infants and adolescents (Photo: BV).

To prevent the disease, Dr. Ha Phuong recommends that parents should fully vaccinate their children according to schedule (6-9 months old); closely monitor children for unusual signs; limit contact with people suspected of being infected; and use prophylactic antibiotics when in close contact with patients.

The doctor emphasized the importance of regularly monitoring children's health. When detecting unusual signs such as high fever, severe headache, stiff neck or petechiae on the skin, parents should not hesitate to take their children to the hospital.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/be-trai-13-tuoi-bong-dau-dau-du-doi-vi-benh-hiem-o-nao-de-lay-qua-giot-ban-20250506115510325.htm