During the hot summer months, meningitis becomes a significant health concern. This is because pneumococcus, meningococcus, and Hib bacteria are more likely to multiply and develop in warm and humid conditions. Additionally, extreme heat can weaken the immune system, making people more susceptible to illness. Meningitis is a severe central nervous system infection that can cause death or leave high sequelae.
Vaccines are an effective way to prevent meningitis caused by bacterial groups. There are vaccines available for pneumococcus, meningococcus, and Hib bacteria that have over 90% effectiveness in preventing the disease. Vaccination helps reduce hospitalization rates, shorten treatment time, and lower medical costs compared to non-vaccinated groups. It also helps reduce the percentage of healthy people carrying the infection and limit the spread of meningococcal infection in the community.
Pneumococcal meningitis has a high mortality rate and can cause severe sequelae if not treated promptly. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pneumococcal meningitis causes more than 50% of cases of bacterial meningitis in the US each year. In Vietnam, pneumococcus is the leading cause of meningitis, with a mortality rate of over 50% when not treated promptly. About 30-50% of people who recover from the disease face serious sequelae like deafness, blindness, paralysis, epilepsy, mental retardation, poor memory, and persistent headaches.
Meningococcus causes severe illness with a mortality rate of up to 15% despite intensive treatment and 20% of people who recover experiencing permanent sequelae like hearing loss or brain damage. The disease often occurs suddenly with symptoms like fever, severe headache