A 4 year old boy who contracted meningococcus He is admitted to the Pereira Rossell Hospital.
As reported Underlinedhe child was rushed from Soriano.
What is meningococcus, symptoms and how it is spread
Information from the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) indicates that meningococcus is a disease caused by bacteria that has the same name and whose clinical presentation can consist of meningitis or as a “invasive disease with septic shock (also known as purpura fulminans).” It can also manifest as arthritis either pneumoniaadds the ministry.
The mode of contagion lies in the direct contact through droplets of respiratory secretions from the nasal passages or pharynxfrom an infected person.
The spread of the disease is facilitated by close and prolonged contact (kissing, sneezing, coughing, collective sleeping quarters, shared dishes and cutlery) with an infected person. The average incubation period is 4 days, but can range from 2 to 10 days.
The susceptibility to illness is low and decreases with age; This explains that, despite the higher proportion of carriers in adolescents, the cases are fewer.
As the clinical presentation can be non-specific, it is recommended to pay attention to the general signs and symptoms that may correspond to the onset of sepsis or bacterial septic shock such as:
- general bad appearance, feeling that the child is not well
- fever especially with colds or feeling very cold
- confusion or disorientation
- persistent vomiting
- difficulty breathing
- fast heart rate or low blood pressure
- changes in skin color (pale, purple, or marble-like)
- nonspecific body pains, especially in the limbs
- damp or sweaty skin
- appearance of red punctate spots that do not disappear when pressed with the finger (petechiae), or bruises (bruises).
