Infectologist Rosana Richtmann warned about the importance of vaccination against meningitis, which, according to her, is a serious disease “with a rapid and unpredictable evolution.”
This week, the city of São Paulo confirmed the death of a 42-year-old woman from the disease.
There are already five cases registered in the period from July 16 to September 15.
THE CNN Radio she explained that there are distinct types of meningitis, such as caused by bacteria, fungal or viral.
“Now we have type C meningococcal meningitis in this outbreak. This is the most serious and worrying one, but luckily we have a vaccine against it.”
This type can lead to death in 25% of confirmed cases.
“Whoever survives can have sequelae, such as hearing loss, limb amputation, vision loss, it is a very serious disease.”
Vaccination is therefore extremely important. “The immunizer available for free on the public network is precisely against type C.”
According to Richtmann, the target audience is the most vulnerable, in this case children and adolescents, “who are the main spreaders of the disease.”
“If we have good coverage, from 90 to 95% of this population, we can indirectly reduce the risk of adults having it, meningitis will stop circulating”, he added.
what is meningitis
The infectious disease specialist explained that meningitis is an inflation of the meninges, which is a membrane that covers the entire brain and spinal cord.
“When you have this inflammation, you end up with a clinical picture of vomiting, headache, convulsion”, he said.
Transmission occurs by exchange of droplets or secretion.
*With production by Isabel Campos
Source: CNN Brasil
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