On 16/4, Doctor Le Hong Nga, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, confirmed the child's cerebrospinal fluid culture tested positive for Neisseria meningitidis group B bacteria. Doctors identified the patient as having fulminant meningococcal meningitis, the most severe form, which progresses rapidly. The disease worsened quickly from onset to hospitalization and proved fatal despite intensive treatment.

Recently, meningococcal meningitis cases have increased. The first three months of this year recorded 24 cases, including four deaths, exceeding figures from the same period last year. Cases appeared sporadically, primarily in the Southeast region. Ca Mau and An Giang also reported cases and fatalities.

Neisseria meningitidis bacteria cause meningococcus, a leading global cause of meningitis and severe infections. According to Pasteur Institute Ho Chi Minh City, group B meningococcus accounted for over 98% of cases in the Southern region from 2014 to 2025. It commonly affects children under five, adolescents aged 15-24, and immunocompromised individuals.

Meningococcal bacteria naturally reside in the human nasopharyngeal mucosa. However, once they overcome protective barriers and invade, the disease progresses rapidly, potentially causing death or severe disabling sequelae within 24 hours. The bacteria spread through direct respiratory contact with droplets from infected individuals or asymptomatic carriers.

Experts predict continued reporting of more cases if early control measures are not implemented, especially in densely populated areas with frequent population movement. Prevention involves: vaccination, maintaining personal hygiene, limiting exposure to infection sources, and seeking medical attention immediately for suspicious symptoms like: high fever, headache, and stiff neck.

Le Phuong