By Vestnik Kavkaza

In Moscow, 40 children have been hospitalized with various forms of meningitis, and for 7 of them a diagnosis of “serious meningitis” has been confirmed. In early June, due to an outbreak of meningitis more than a hundred children in Rostov-on-Don were placed in hospitals. During a press conference, Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology of MSMSU Yuri Vengerov spoke about the disease, its symptoms and methods of treatment. He said that “meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, which is caused by many different organisms. And very much depends both on the pathogen and on the form of meningitis. In particular, enteroviral meningitis caused by an enterovirus, or intestinal viruses, is included in the number of benign meningitis, which rarely occur hard, rarely provide any complications or adverse effects.The very name of enterovirus or an intestinal virus suggests that it is an intestinal infection, but the virus is capable to get from the digestive tract through the bloodstream into the brain and cause inflammation, i. e. meningitis. As well as other intestinal infection, the spread of enterovirus meningitis occur in the summer, and the incidence is related to the use of untreated water, washing fruits, bathing in polluted water.But there is one feature. The fact is that this meningitis may also be transmitted via droplets, i.e. in contact with each other. Patients may be contacted in this way and can infect each other. Therefore, the groups are characterized by disease outbreaks in institutions. Here the most important thing is early diagnosis.

The basis for the diagnosis of meningitis is fever, followed by severe headache of unusual intensity. It is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. These symptoms, fever and headache with vomiting, are an indication for emergency hospitalization. Severe forms, which can be fatal, are very rare with enteroviral meningitis.

Panic reaction, which was due to the outbreak in Rostov, is due to the fact that there was a case of pneumococcal meningitis. This is a severe form of meningitis, which often leads to death. All this was not divided and was perceived as the same phenomenon. In fact, these are completely different diseases. Most enteroviral meningitis used to be in the Far East, there is the Amur river there, and tributaries of the Amur come to us from China. There untreated waste water is dumped. Amur is infested by enteroviruses. Every summer there are up to several hundred cases. Now it has spread to the Ural Mountains, and in the middle lane, and along the coast of the Black Sea, everywhere it is possible.

For viral meningitis there is no vaccination. Generally, very much depends on parents. Parents need to know the vaccination schedule and to be actively interested in it, especially because now there are lots of information sources. On the Internet you can read everything about these vaccines, where to buy them and how to use them. All this information is now available to most people”.