While an epidemic of unprecedented meningitis is raging in England and has caused two deaths, a woman died on March 19 in France from a devastating form. The authorities are monitoring the situation.
An unprecedented epidemic of meningitis has affected England since the beginning of March. Nearly thirty people have been infected and two deaths have been confirmed in the country. England’s proximity to France requires health authorities to be extremely vigilant. Meningitis is a contagious disease that can be devastating in just a few hours. The sudden death of a woman was also reported in France on March 19, in Normandy. According to France 3 Normandie, this person was employed in the Orano nuclear fuel reprocessing center in La Hague (Manche). For the moment, the Normandy Regional Health Agency does not make a link between this case and the British cases but it has not been ruled out.
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges of the brain caused by a virus or bacteria. According to the British Health Agency, the “unprecedented” epidemic affecting England is of bacterial origin and due to meningococcus bacteria, type B. Such meningitis is transmitted by droplets of saliva. Close and prolonged contact is required: being less than 1 meter away, facing the person, for more than 1 hour cumulatively over the last 10 days. Once the bacteria is transmitted, the progression can be very rapid and fatal. Also, it is important to recognize the signs of meningitis very quickly.
There are around ten symptoms that can characterize meningitis but some are particularly typical, as Dr Muhamed-Kheir Taha, director of the National Meningococcal Reference Center at the Pasteur Institute, explained to us. The first sign is a headache:Intense and violent headaches are one of the typical signs of the onset of meningitis, both in children and adults. These headaches are exacerbated by exposure to noise and light and are not relieved by traditional painkillers.“
Then, with a stiff neck: “Neck stiffness indicates defensive contracture of the neck muscles during inflammation of the meninges“. Third, very high sensitivity to light: “An intolerance or extreme sensitivity to natural or artificial light is a typical sign of meningitis“, indicates the doctor. Concretely, the patient has pain in the eyes when he looks at the light and severe headaches. If these three signs are present, “you need to consult urgently”.
They may be associated with other symptoms of meningitis: vomiting, abdominal pain, fever above 38°C, pain in the legs, thighs or spine, very cold hands and feet, and small red or purple spots on the skin which do not disappear when pressed with a finger. “As soon as you have signs of meningitis, you should not wait until you have finished your day to go see a doctor: it’s straight away, because you need to receive antibiotics as quickly as possible.” confirms Emmanuel Piednoir, infectious disease specialist at Avranches-Granville hospital (Manche), to our colleagues from France 3. Each year, around 500 to 600 cases of bacterial meningococcal meningitis are recorded in France.
