High mortality rate! Can be "asymptomatic carrier"! Urgent reminder: This disease has entered the high incidence season →

Yesterday (15th), the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent reminder: It is very important to prevent epidemic meningitis in winter and spring!

As the name suggests, epidemic meningitis is a disease mainly caused by meningitis, commonly known as "meningococcal meningitis". Although both meningococcal meningitis and influenza are respiratory infectious diseases, both are highly prevalent in winter and spring, they are essentially different. Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infectious disease , while influenza is a viral infectious disease.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds that winter and spring are the peak seasons for respiratory infectious diseases and meningococcal meningitis. The mortality rate of meningococcal meningitis is high (over 10%), and it ranks in the top five among the infectious diseases that are currently required to be reported in my country. The prognosis of meningococcal meningitis is poor and will seriously affect life. 20% of meningococcal meningitis patients will have severe limb and tissue disabilities, and 1/3 of the infected will have sequelae related to neurological damage, such as intelligence, vision, hearing, motor skills, and perception for life.

Meningococcal bacteria can adhere to the surface of the upper respiratory tract for a long time without causing any clinical symptoms. We call this "asymptomatic carriage". Winter and spring are the peak seasons for respiratory viral diseases such as influenza. Viral infection damages the respiratory mucosa and reduces the density of the mucosal barrier. Colonized meningococcal bacteria then enter the body, cross the mucosal barrier and enter the bloodstream, causing severe infection, called bacteremia. Bacteria circulate in the blood and reach the nervous system, causing meningitis.

Infants under 1 year old are in a critical period of physical growth. Their immune systems are not fully developed yet, so they are at high risk of contracting various diseases. However, there is no need to panic. There are three measures to prevent and treat infectious diseases:

The first is non-drug intervention, such as maintaining good hygiene habits, ensuring environmental hygiene, avoiding contact between babies and people with meningococcal meningitis, wearing masks during the epidemic, and avoiding taking babies to crowded public places as much as possible.

The second is to strengthen drug intervention. The main thing is to vaccinate the baby with meningococcal vaccine in a timely manner. Young mothers today lack meningococcal antibodies and cannot provide protective maternal antibodies to their babies. Therefore, for infants and young children, timely vaccination with meningococcal vaccine is one of the most effective measures to prevent meningococcal disease. There are many kinds of meningococcal vaccines for babies in my country. Mothers can do their homework in advance or directly consult the vaccination clinic doctor. Vaccination with meningococcal vaccine is the best health protection for babies.

Third, seek medical attention promptly. If your baby has symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, etc., you should take your child to see a doctor promptly.

The clinical manifestations of epidemic encephalitis are atypical and easily overlooked! After infection, the disease progresses very quickly . Fever, headache, vomiting and skin bleeding are typical symptoms of epidemic encephalitis, but babies will not complain of discomfort. Bulging fontanelles on the top of the head are typical manifestations of increased intracranial pressure in infants and young children.

If the baby cries and shows corresponding symptoms, parents must seek medical attention in time for early diagnosis and treatment. Although vaccination against meningococcal meningitis cannot prevent infection, the effective antibodies produced by vaccination can reduce the occurrence of death, severe illness, and disability.

Finally, I would like to remind parents that winter and spring are the peak seasons for respiratory infectious diseases and meningococcal meningitis. It is important to vaccinate your baby with meningococcal meningitis vaccine in time to protect your baby's healthy growth.

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Source: China CDC News, CCTV News Client

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