Meningitis: 1.8 million very young children are still ‘unvaccinated’
From very young children to teenagers who ‘suffer’ the consequences of fluctuating regional policies: paediatricians sound the alarm as they take stock of the figures that need to be improved
Key points
‘Almost 1.8 million children and young people who are unvaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated represent a very large group where we can still take action. It is important to check your children’s vaccination status and catch up on any missing doses. Meningococcal meningitis can, in fact, progress very rapidly and have extremely serious consequences.’ Thus, Rino Agostiniani, president of the Italian Paediatric Society (SIP), has sounded the alarm over the lack of or inadequate vaccination coverage for one of the most insidious diseases – one which can, however, be prevented through prophylaxis and is fully included in the National Immunisation Schedule.
Paediatricians have issued this warning to mark World AIDS Day, in light of figures that indicate there is significant room for improvement. The analysis confirming that 1,780,545 individuals are inadequately protected was carried out by cross-referencing Istat data on birth cohorts from 2014 to 2022 with the Ministry of Health’s currently available data on vaccination coverage at 24 months
Meningococcal meningitis: it can develop within a few hours
Meningococcal meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The bacterium is transmitted through saliva and respiratory secretions during close contact. Many people may be carriers without developing the disease, but in some cases the bacterium can cause an invasive disease, which may present as meningitis and/or sepsis.
The course of the disease can be very rapid: even when the illness is diagnosed and treated promptly, in the most severe cases it can lead to death within 24–48 hours. Meningococcal meningitis can be fatal in 5–10 per cent of cases and cause serious complications in 10–20 per cent of survivors, including neurological deficits, hearing loss, blindness and other permanent disabilities.
MenB: catching up on missed doses and bridging regional disparities
The current National Vaccination Prevention Plan provides for the active and free provision of the meningococcal B vaccine to children from the age of 3 months. However, the SIP believes it is necessary to step up catch-up vaccination programmes, as there remains a very high number of children and young people who are unvaccinated or have an incomplete vaccination course.
