Updated date: 04/11/2024 05:46:19
Group B meningococcal bacteria are the most common pathogens in Vietnam over the past 15 years, causing diseases such as meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia and leaving many serious sequelae such as paralysis, deafness, amputation, mental retardation, etc.
Meningococcal meningitis rash
Recently, a 5-year-old girl in Tay Ninh was diagnosed with septic shock and sepsis caused by meningococcal serogroup B. This is the most dangerous and common meningococcal group in Vietnam, and there is now an early vaccine available for children from 2 months old.
On April 9, information from the City Children's Hospital ( Ho Chi Minh City) said that the girl was out of danger and was able to get off the ventilator after nearly 2 weeks of intensive treatment for sepsis caused by meningococcal bacteria.
Previously, the girl was hospitalized after 2 days of high fever, complaining of body aches, stomachache, and a rash all over her body. The doctor determined that the girl had septic shock, meningococcal sepsis, and was isolated and treated intensively with a ventilator, anti-shock, and a combination of antibiotics...
Recent PCR test results showed that the child was positive for group B meningococcal bacteria and had never been vaccinated.
Dr. Truong Huu Khanh - Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association said that group B meningococcal bacteria is the most common pathogen in Vietnam in the past 15 years, causing diseases such as meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia and leaving many serious sequelae such as paralysis, deafness, amputation, mental retardation, etc.
The meningitis surveillance system operated by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has collected data from Children's Hospitals 1 and 2 (Ho Chi Minh City) and the National Children's Hospital ( Hanoi ) since 2012, showing that most cases of invasive meningococcal meningitis are caused by group B meningococcus. Reports of 15 cases with severe complications at the National Children's Hospital from 2016 to 2020 were all caused by serogroup B. Notably, the proportion of healthy people carrying group B meningococcus bacteria, especially adolescents and young people, is the majority.
Dr. Bach Thi Chinh - Medical Director of VNVC Vaccination System said that the reported data on the number of meningococcal cases in Vietnam may be lower than the actual number due to the overuse of antibiotics affecting test results; lack of experience in diagnosing meningococcal disease and lack of a surveillance system leading to missed cases. Meningococcal bacteria have 13 pathogenic serotypes, of which 5 common serotypes in Vietnam are A, B, C, Y, W-135.
According to Dr. Chinh, children under 1 year old, especially children under 5 months old, are at the highest risk of contracting group B meningococcus.
In Vietnam, in 2016 and 2022, Children's Hospital 1 and Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City recorded 2 cases of meningococcal B in a 4.5-month-old boy (Tien Giang) and a 5-month-old girl (District 11, Ho Chi Minh City). Both patients were hospitalized in critical condition, with widespread rashes on the skin and septic shock. The boy was later saved but suffered from amputation, while the girl died just over 8 hours after being hospitalized.
Therefore, it is very important to prevent group B meningococcal meningitis in children early. Currently, Vietnam has all 3 types of vaccines to prevent all dangerous meningococcal serotypes, promptly meeting the need for vaccination for children and adults from 2 months to 55 years old, including: new generation group B meningococcal vaccine (Bexsero - Italy); group BC meningococcal vaccine (Mengoc BC - Cuba) and ACYW-135 (Menactra - USA).
Meningococcal vaccines do not have cross-immune protection, so children and adults need to be vaccinated early and fully against the 5 serotypes that cause the disease mentioned above without delay or only vaccinating one type and skipping another.
In addition to the meningococcal meningitis vaccine, Dr. Chinh recommends that people should be fully vaccinated on schedule with other vaccines to prevent brain diseases such as pneumococcal vaccine, measles vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, Japanese encephalitis vaccine... to avoid the risk of disease overlapping or weakened health, making it easy to be attacked by meningococcal bacteria in the context of complex weather and many epidemics at risk of outbreaks like today.
According to MANH TRAN (NDO)
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