We are in the midst of a pandemic that absorbs a large part of the preventive resources and energies available to the National Health System. A problem that affects not only the health of children but is also confirmed in the vaccinations of adults and the elderly, in particular those against invasive bacterial diseases. To underline this are the experts. “These pathologies represent a group of diseases including meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia and are characterized by the presence of a bacterium in ‘sterile’ sites, where we should not normally find a bacterium, such as the lungs, meninges or blood – explains Daniel Fiacchini, medical director of the Asur Marche Prevention Department and coordinator of the Communication for Public Health Working Group of the Italian Society of Hygiene (SItI) -. Meningitis in particular is characterized by inflammation of the meninges, that is, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. The causes may be different and the bacterial forms are certainly among the most important and relevant from a clinical point of view “.
But what are the bacteria that cause them and how many types are there? “The bacteria that cause meningitis are different – continues the expert -. Until the 1990s, especially in children under five, the leading cause of bacterial meningitis was a bacterium called haemophilus influenzae. Then, thanks to the hexavalent vaccination, this bacterium has caused fewer and fewer cases. Today the bacteria most frequently found in severe forms of meningitis are, in fact, pneumococcus and meningococcus “.
The good news is that you can effectively protect yourself against this type of disease. “Thanks to vaccination, our children can be protected within the first two years of life with at least three different types of vaccines: the vaccine for haemophilus influenzae type B is contained in the hexavalent. against pneumococcus. Subsequently we also use the vaccine against meningococcus C or against meningococci A, C, W, Y, with the quadrivalent vaccine, based on the regional vaccination schedules in force “.
The importance of prevention is therefore reiterated, on which clinicians and experts heard in the context of “Pre-Occupiamoci della meningitis” agree, an editorial project to raise awareness on the risks associated with this pathology, conceived and promoted by the time.news Group with the non-conditioning support of Gsk Italia. “In the first two years of life – adds Fiacchini – we have the possibility to protect our children from all the main forms of meningitis. Vaccinations can be mandatory or recommended but always represent an essential level of assistance: “every parent has the right to be able to protect their children from life-threatening diseases”
Vaccination against meningococcus B may also be indicated for the elderly or for people with frailty. “There are certain conditions or pathological situations – explains the expert – which make the clinical course of an invasive bacterial disease much more severe. This is the case, for example, of the absence of a spleen, the so-called asplenia, or of some immunocompromissions or immunodeficiencies, acquired or congenital, such as HIV, but also of chronic diseases, such as liver and chronic kidney diseases, common conditions from the fact that they pose a greater risk of complications. In all these cases, our national calendars provide for a free offer. There are also situations in which the greatest risk is age-dependent. For example, adolescents who are more likely to have certain types of meningitis, such as meningococcal disease B. Also for this category a vaccination offer can be designed and rationalized ”.
But at the moment the greatest risk is that – due to the Covid 19 emergency – fundamental vaccinations for other diseases will be neglected. “It is very important to maintain high vaccination coverage. We are, in fact, in the midst of a pandemic that is absorbing a large part of our preventive resources and energies. It is a problem if, to cope with an emergency such as covid-19, we lower our guard against other serious diseases. There is a risk – concludes Fiacchini – that vaccination activities will somehow suffer a setback. We must not allow it and above all parents must continue to vaccinate their children, peacefully and with confidence, against bacterial diseases. By dint of focusing on Covid-19, it almost seems that less frequent infectious diseases have become secondary, of series B. But pay attention to the severity of certain situations: some diseases may be less frequent but from a clinical point of view they can be extremely more serious , to the point of being fatal “.