Ten cases of bacterial meningitis were registered in the republic in 2023. The Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision reports.
Seven of them were registered in Bishkek, 2 — in Chui region and 1 — in Osh region. Most of the patients are children under 14.
The department recalled that meningococcal infection is transmitted through close contact.
«At the onset of the disease, since it is similar to acute respiratory diseases, most people do not go to the doctor and self-medicate, which leads to complications,» the department noted.
The characteristic signs of meningococcal infection are an increase in body temperature to 40-41 degrees, chills, lethargy, pallor of the skin, refusal to eat and drink. The symptoms also include intense headache, vomiting, memory impairment, convulsions; in young children: monotonous cry, divergence of cranial sutures, bulging fontanel, tension in the neck, inability to tilt the head to the chest.
One of the characteristic symptoms that you should definitely pay attention to is the appearance of a rash. The disease is dangerous in that it can develop in a matter of hours and even minutes, leading to serious complications, and in some cases to death. In this regard, when symptoms of the disease are observed, it is urgent to seek medical help and not self-medicate.
A 12-month-old child died from meningococcal infection in the Bishkek City Children’s Hospital at the end of February.
