2023-04-20 16:06:00
Alexandra Thabuis, Bruno Morel and Anne Sophie Ronnaux-Baron @MartinGaboriau
To counter the number of meningococcal B cases in eastern Lyon, the National Health Agency (ARS) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes wants to raise awareness of the need to be vaccinated.
Started in July 2022, the vaccination campaign against meningococcal B which can lead to several pathologies including meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) is at work to reduce the number of cases. This operation focuses mainly on 0-2 year olds and 16-24 year olds in eastern Lyon and the Chambéry sector. This variant is only present in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and not elsewhere in France.
17 cases recorded in the sector
To date and since June 2021, 17 cases have been recorded, mainly concentrated around Chambéry and in eastern Lyon. “It may not seem like much because it is a disease that is relatively rare, but it is terribly dangerous.“, underlines Alexandra Thabuis, epidemiologist at Public Health France.
After experiencing a significant increase in the number of cases in the Chambéry sector, no case linked to this variant has occurred since April 22. Today, the ARS focuses most of its action on 10 municipalities, including 9 in Isère and one in the Rhône (Pusignan).
Of the 17 cases recorded, one person died and the last young person infected in March 2023 remained in intensive care for two weeks. In these different municipalities, the ARS of the region tries to accelerate the vaccination of 16-24 year olds in the municipalities concerned, “the variant is transmitted in the form of micro droplets. Young people with festive gatherings, nightclubs or even bars must be vaccinated even more“, says the epidemiologist.
Vaccinate as many young people as possible between 16 and 24 years old
Despite this desire to accelerate this vaccination campaign, young people do not respond to this desire. “One dose was taken by 15% of 16-24 year olds and 9% for the second dose“, support Anne-Sophie Ronnaux-Baron, head of the health monitoring center. In total, 5,000 letters were sent and a toll-free number has just been added.
To facilitate vaccination, the dose is injectable “by the attending physician, but also in pharmacies”. With this desire to minimize the development of this new variant, this one “still remains very difficult to detect. The main symptoms are flu-like with fever, headaches or stiff neck“, supports Bruno Morel, deputy director of monitoring and health alerts.
The ARS hopes for a drastic increase in the number of vaccinations in the coming weeks to try to contain meningococcus B as much as possible and make it disappear gradually.
Read also: Meningitis: young people aged 16 to 24 called upon to be vaccinated in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
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