Hygiene measures

• Se wash your hands frequently;
• Wear a mask
• Do not share food, drinks, toothbrushes, cigarettes, lipsticks, etc;
• In public places, such as schools, wash common surfaces, especially in washrooms, once a day with a solution of 1 part bleach to 1 parts water.

Way of life

• Adopt a healthy lifestyle so as not to weaken the immune system;
• Treat respiratory tract infections and ear infections in young children as soon as they appear.

vaccination

Certain types of bacterial meningitis can be prevented by vaccination, but not all. In recent years, there has been a vaccine against meningococcal meningitis type B: Bexsero. However, no vaccine can protect against all strains of bacteria that can cause meningitis:

• Pneumococcal vaccine. Vaccines that contain polysaccharides derived from 23 pneumococcal serotypes (Pneumovax®, Pneumo® and Pnu-Immune®), which confer immunity against each of these serotypes. Those who respond best to these vaccines are healthy young adults. The Prevnar® vaccine, the only vaccine conjugate against pneumococcus, protects young children 90% against this type of meningitis and offers slight protection against ear infections caused by pneumococcus. The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends its administration to all children aged 2 months to 4 years;
• Vaccine against haemophilus (Hib). In Canada, routine Hib vaccination is recommended for all infants from 2 months of age. Three conjugate vaccines are licensed in Canada: HbOC, PRP-T and PRP-OMP which is a vaccine combining vaccination against haemophilus influenzae with vaccination for other diseases.

  In France, ACTHIB® is available.

  The number of doses varies depending on the age at the 1st dose.

  This anti Hib vaccine is also present in vaccines for several diseases at the same time (Infanrix quinta®, Pentavac®, Hexyon®, Infanrix hexa®)

• Meningococcal vaccines. In France, it is supported at 65%. There are 2 types of meningococcal vaccines in Canada:
• Vaccines conjugates. Three vaccines provide protection against meningococcal serotype C : Menjugate®, NeisVac® and Meninvact®. The degree of protection is high (more than 90%) in babies (from the age of 2 months) and young children. This vaccine has been included in the vaccination schedule since 1999; A vaccine offers protection against invasive meningococcal B infections (mainly meningitis and septicemia), Bexsero®.
• Vaccines polysaccharidiques. MenAC-Ps protects against meningococci of serotypes A and C. MenACYW-Ps (Menactra®, Nimenrix®, Mencevax®, Menveo®)) confers immunity against 4 serotypes: A, C, Y and W135. These vaccines are not used for routine immunization of children. They are mainly used during epidemics, for travelers traveling in a region affected by a meningitis epidemic and for people at high risk of infection. They can be administered from the age of 2 years.

If you come into contact with a sick person, you should be treated if:

– one has been exposed directly to the nasopharyngeal secretions of the sick person in the 10 days preceding the onset of symptoms (people who live / are kept under the same roof as the index case during its period of contagiousness)

– Or if not, the doctor assesses the risky situations. It is considered important in the event of a moment of proximity of less than 1 meter to the sick person, a face-to-face situation, a meeting lasting more than an hour, or mouth-to-mouth contact. .

• antibiotics

As a precaution, relatives of the person affected by Rifampicin are also treated with antibiotics (oral treatment for 2 days). In the event of contraindication or known resistance of this bacterium to rifampicin: Ceftriaxone (injectable) or Ciprofloxacin (oral), in single dose. This should be started as soon as possible within 24 to 48 hours if possible. This treatment is unnecessary more than 10 days after contact with the sick person.