São Paulo registers 10 deaths from meningitis this year

The city of São Paulo recorded at least 10 deaths from meningitis in 2022. The city government reinforces the need to vaccinate children and adolescents.

This Thursday (6), a 22-year-old died from the disease in the capital of São Paulo. In addition to the 10 deaths, 58 cases were recorded in the city; but the city government says that these are isolated cases.

“These are isolated cases, which do not characterize outbreaks and which are not related to the outbreak currently located in the districts of Vila Formosa and Aricanduva, where five cases of meningococcal meningitis of the same type C were recorded, from July 16 to July 15. September, with one death”, clarified the city hall in a note.

Just this week, two young men contracted meningococcal meningitis: a 20-year-old woman and the 22-year-old man who died.

The collection of tests has already been carried out, and according to the city hall, the result should come out next week to detect what type of bacteria these patients caught.

The Municipal Health Department stated that it is considered an outbreak of meningococcal disease “when there are three or more cases of the same type in a period of 90 days in the same location”.

Vaccination

As part of the routine vaccination schedule, the immunizer against meningococcal meningitis C should be given to babies aged 3, 5 and 12 months. The ACWY meningitis treatment is currently applied to the age group from 11 to 14 years.

According to the city hall, vaccination was expanded on September 19, also for adolescents aged 13 to 14, until June 2023, as defined by the National Immunization Program.

“The recommendation of vaccination against meningitis is routinely made for children and adolescents. These are the groups most affected by the disease, they are those with the highest incidence rates. We only vaccinate adults over 20 years of age in epidemic situations, that is, in that place, in that school, in that company, in that community”, explains pediatrician Renato Kfouri, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm).