Professor Kėvalas talks about an infection that is especially common in Lithuania: it is transmitted by about 10%. society

According to the professor, the cold and flu season is approaching, the COVID-19 infection will contribute this year, and the number of people with meningococcal type B infection increases each year from November to early spring, according to a press release.

“The main symptom of all the diseases mentioned is the same: fever and general malaise. Therefore, it will be a challenge for emergency physicians who will have to differentiate the deadly meningococcus B from other less dangerous diseases. So, before the start of the cold season, I would advise parents to talk with their GPs about their children’s vaccinations according to the vaccination schedule to see if everything was done according to plan. Parents should also check with their doctors family on paid vaccines, if they are not funded by the state ”, advises Prof. R. Kėvalas.

So far, the cold season has not yet begun, the doctor draws attention to several myths related to vaccines and meningococcal infection type B, a disease with an incidence in Lithuania, one of the highest in the European Union.

MYTH. A child who grows up in a safe environment all the time will not attend kindergarten, will not meet his peers, will not develop meningococcus B.

Prof. R. Kėvalas does not imagine the situation in which a safe environment will be created for the child.

“Even though the child will be alone, he will live at home all the time, he will not travel, his parents will not work anywhere, he will still need social communication, he will go to school, probably later, to university or the army A safe environment in this case would be like that of a fantastic movie, because it is impossible, “says the doctor.

He recalled several cases of meningococcal infection type B in the spring, when the quarantine was announced in the country: “At that time, the environment was epidemiologically safe, many of us were at home, without having to go to school. However, even then, two adolescents with severe meningococcal B infection and multi-organ failure were brought to Kaunas clinics from different Lithuanian cities. They barely managed to save their lives. “

MYTH. Adults cannot be carriers of meningococcal infection type B, only children transmit it.

According to prof. R. Kėvalas, about 10 percent. the public uses meningococcus B in the nasopharynx.

“It simply came to our knowledge then. It should be noted that meningococcus B is not a mere infection in children. The infection can be carried or infected by people of all ages,” says the professor.

MYTH. Meningococcus B can be prevented if the child eats healthy foods, vegetables, fruits, and his immune system is strong.

Prof. According to R. Kėvalas, oddly enough, the absolute majority of the meningococcal infections that he saw, which ended in major complications or even death, were almost never children with good immune systems.

“We don’t know how our immune system will react when the body is exposed to meningococcus. Sometimes a good immunity can play a “bear service” and the body will react too violently with painful consequences, such as inflammatory factors, vulnerability of the organs, “says the director of the Kaunas Children’s Clinic.

MYTH. Meningococcus B can only occur in babies and children under 5 years of age.

Prof. Kėvalas offers to examine morbidity data for the last 10 years in Lithuania.

“Children under 5 years old represent about 50 percent of all those with meningococcus B. The rest are older and a large group of adults older than 18. The situation is similar with mortality: about 50 percent. all the deaths are of children under 5 years of age, the other group is young people and adults ”, says the doctor.

Last year, 37 people in Lithuania had meningococcal B disease, almost half of whom were children under 6 years of age. Of the 37 patients, 6 died.

MYTH. Complications of meningococcal B like the flu: The greatest possible threat may be pneumonia.

Prof. R. Kėval comments that meningococcus B is a bacterium and influenza is a virus; this is a fundamental difference.

“It is also important to note that around 20-25%. In patients with meningococcus B remain with residual phenomena – physical disability due to scars on the skin, altered kidney function or amputation of limbs due to severe circulatory disturbances. Often, complications neurological disorders of meningococcal meningitis, such as hearing, motor and cognitive disorders, persist ”, says the doctor.

Recent studies show that even those people who relapsed to meningococcus B without physiological changes felt a worse self-esteem, quality of life after many years.

“Comparing the complications of meningococcus B and the flu is the same as a plane crash when we fall much faster compared to an elementary car crash. The consequences are completely different, ”says R. Kėvalas.

MYTH. Many vaccines are used to tighten the immune system in one visit.

Parents prof. R. Kėvalas often asks why so many vaccinations are given during the first months of a child’s life.

“Due to increased immunity to communicable diseases from a young age. Immunologists at the San Diego Institute of Biology in the US have found that children vaccinated with 11 vaccines use only 0.01 percent. Immune system resources. A small child can react to hundreds of thousands of different microorganisms at the same time. According to the vaccination schedule, the immune system is definitely not weakened and everything is calculated in a rational way, “says the pediatrician.

MYTH. The meningococcal vaccine is only required when going on vacation to other countries, this infection is not relevant for Lithuania.

“The meningococcal serotype B is very widespread in Lithuania and Europe, the United States, Canada, so it is recommended to vaccinate against meningococcus B in our country. R. Kėvalas.

For a long time, most cases of meningococcal B infection were registered in Lithuania in all EU countries. In the last 2018 According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the highest number of cases is registered in Ireland (1.71 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), Lithuania and the United Kingdom (1.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants ) and the Netherlands (1.17 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). ./100 thousand inhabitants). It is obvious that the meningococcal B vaccine is necessary while living in Lithuania and not during the holidays.

MYTH. During a COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinations can be delayed and safer.

According to prof. R. Kėvalas, the plan drawn up by the Childhood Preventive Vaccination Calendar, which has been drawn up taking into account global practices, cannot be ignored.

“I would recommend to parents that they consult a family doctor about their children’s vaccinations. Talk not only about the vaccines that are listed in the vaccination schedule, but also about the paid ones. For example, meningococcal B vaccine is only free of charge to children born after 2018. July 1 However, a large number of older people remain in the risk zone, ”says the teacher.

For personal medical advice, contact your healthcare provider.