It is a poorly known disease that most people fear, because it can be lightning and deadly: meningitis. In France, in 2017, there were 546 cases, 62 of which led to the death of patients, often babies, children or young adults.
The stiffness in the neck, far from being the only sign . On the occasion of the World Day against this pathology that takes place on Wednesday, a survey reveals that the French are actually very badly aware of this disease and especially the symptoms that must push to consult as soon as possible, because everything can degenerate into barely 24h.
Very often, the majority of French people cite three symptoms: a high fever, headaches and stiffness in the neck. But in reality, there are many others: a sensitivity to light or small red spots that appear on the body, called "Purpura", for example. Very varied signs ... and that's the problem. In the first hours of infection, the first signs are very commonplace, and may suggest a kind of flu.
Children are more exposed. But most of all, what people often do not know is that when it affects babies under one year of age, who are 10 times more at risk than the rest of the population, there is never stiffness in Nape, explains Hervé Has, head of pediatric emergency services at the Laval Hospital in Nice. "The less than a year have what is called the fontanelle, the membrane that is at the top of the skull and is a kind of valve.The stiffness of the neck is the translation of an increase in pressure If you have a valve, this pressure is damped and you will not have stiff necks.If you wait, it is much too late, "says the specialist.
Finally, another problem: three out of ten French still do not know that this disease can be prevented. There are vaccines that protect against several types of meningitis. Three of them are now mandatory for children born since 2018.