To die from meningitis: why the terrible «disease of the past» overtakes Russians in the 21st century

Emergency in Yekaterinburg should be the subject of serious proceedings, Gennady Onishchenko is sure.

«For the health care of Yekaterinburg and The Sverdlovsk region is a disgrace. This means that there is no wariness. And, most likely, there are people, our former compatriots, who cannot seek medical help in time, despite the fact that they have quasi-policies. Most of them don't, » says Onishchenko.

There are serious questions directly to the employer — the Ozon company, adds the ex-sanitary doctor of the country. He emphasizes that if operators allow such failures, it only means that they do not think about the health of the people who work for them, nor about the health of those whom their employees serve.

«The company itself does not think about security. This is not some kind of charashka, not a small business where something is being done at the stake. And I'm not being silly. This is a big company where a huge number of people work. And these people are also in contact with customers. — says Onishchenko. — Take at least these incomprehensible hangars where orders are collected and stored. If, for example, I came to a cafe and saw a dirty girl there, I can make a remark. And no one even goes into the shed where employees of such companies work. How does it all lie there, in what conditions? They are their own masters. Conditionally, even public control does not work there. And then, when the order was collected, our former compatriot from Central Asia was put on some kind of clunker and he drove. And how do our former compatriots live here? As a rule, in basements, in some dormitories, where they sleep in stacks and always in cramped conditions. There you need to wool. Examine everyone.»

He is also sure that if the workers were not afraid of «their master», were not afraid of losing their jobs, and would immediately turn to doctors, then there would be no deaths.

«Ozon, of course, can say: we have nowhere written to conduct a morning filter and measure the temperature. Yes. Our business celebrated the victory — we removed all the supervisors, now we will heal! The words were invented by the swashbuckling — regulatory guillotine… Well, they removed the supervision, but at the same time the business did not take on any obligations, » adds the sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko.

A plague on both your hostels

Two men died from meningitis in Yekaterinburg. The first information appeared about the death of a 21-year-old Ozon employee. He was hospitalized on June 25, and died the next day. Later, on July 1, a 46-year-old employee of the company died in the hospital. Doctors interviewed by Novye Izvestia unanimously assume that the cause of death was meningosepsis (by this point, medicine is already powerless).

Employees of the Ozon online store, who are now under the supervision of doctors, lived in a hostel. It is this tiny «dormitory» — the upper floor of the mini-shopping center «Pobeda», most likely, that became the focus of infection.

According to the official version of the Rospotrebnadzor of the Sverdlovsk region, events in Yekaterinburg developed rapidly. On July 5, Rospotrebnadzor announced cases of meningococcal infection among employees of the Ozon distribution center in Yekaterinburg. The outbreak was detected on the territory of the Koltsovsky logopark (near the airport). Doctors have registered seven cases of meningococcal infection.

Of course, the agency stressed that «a complex of sanitary and anti-epidemic measures has been organized, » contact persons have been established.

Vaccination of employees began urgently (and meningitis vaccination is not included in the National Vaccination Calendar, that is, vaccination is not mandatory and is not paid from the federal budget). As of July 5, 60 people were vaccinated.

The next day, on July 6, Rospotrebnadzor announced that the number of infected people had increased: eight cases had already been registered. 400 people were vaccinated by this date.

«Employees of one of the blocks where cases of the disease were detected, as well as contacts at the place of residence, undergo antibiotic prophylaxis, » the regional department assured.

The Regional Ministry of Health officially stated that as of July 6 in Six Ozon employees were hospitalized in the Sysert CRH. «Without a clinic, contact, positive laboratory results. The condition is satisfactory. There are no hospitalizations to other medical organizations, » the official tg channel of the Ministry of Health of the Sverdlovsk region reported.

And as the marketplace itself added, all the sick employees of the Ozon warehouse in Koltsovo are employees of contracting organizations. Ozon stressed that it complies with all the regulations of Rospotrebnadzor, employees are being vaccinated. The warehouse itself continues to operate with precautionary measures, it is fully disinfected, the company added.

Warning, danger

Gennady Onishchenko believes that the state of emergency in Yekaterinburg is not a reason for panic. But the situation is serious.

The contagiousness of meningitis, he adds, is not so high when compared with influenza and coronavirus, but meningitis is very insidious.

«The insidiousness of this infection is that there is an asymptomatic carrier. A person has meningitis in the nasal cavity, in the upper respiratory tract, and he just doesn't know about it yet. Here there may be a takeout on the population, that is, on others. With personal contact. The courier brought you the parcel: hello — goodbye. This is where the transmission of infection could take place, » warns the sanitary doctor Onishchenko.

Contacts, of course, are identified and they are all isolated (quarantined for up to 12 days), but conclusions will have to be drawn.

«Flash on The Urals has once again shown that Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Health need to counteract this campaign against the „guillotine“ with preventive measures. I am sure that my colleagues, and I have a strong sanitary service, were in The Sverdlovsk region, after the investigation, will offer additional measures so that there are no such punctures, » says Gennady Onishchenko.

And he adds: «There is no special exotic for healthcare here. This infection became less common, and when I started working, it was quite a serious scourge for the entire Soviet Union. Then we learned how to prevent, first of all with the help of vaccination.»

It should be noted that despite the fact that vaccination against meningitis is not mandatory, the population in case of a poor prognosis can be vaccinated within the so-called calendar for epidopokazaniyam.

And Rospotrebnadzor has already recommended that Russians get a preventive vaccination against meningococcal infection. Every resident can be vaccinated if he is not sick at the moment.

The recommendation was made by the head of the reference center for monitoring bacterial meningitis of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor Irina Koroleva.

«Now, in the post-ovarian period, there is an increase in the incidence of acute respiratory infections, including meningococcal, so it's worth getting vaccinated and protecting yourself from this dangerous disease, » she commented on the outbreak of meningococcal infection in Yekaterinburg (quoted by TASS).

Instructions for Russians

Olga Shuppo, scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation and preventive medicine clinics, reminds that outbreaks of various viral infections are now being observed all over the world.

«There are several reasons. According to WHO, there is a decrease in adherence to vaccination. Due to the decrease in immunity, which is observed in most after the coronavirus pandemic, it has become more difficult to resist external infections, the body's defenses are weakened. Immunity resistance also depends on compliance with sanitary rules, compliance with which has also weakened after the removal of covid restrictions. And in general, no one can have stable immunity from meningitis, » says Olga Shuppo.

Novye Izvestia asked Olga Shuppo to remind us what meningitis is, how dangerous it is and what measures each of us needs to take. Here are her recommendations:

-The infection is caused by diplococcus — meningitis neisseria. The disease has many different forms: from mild — nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity and pharynx) to purulent meningitis with a possible unfavorable outcome. Infection with meningococcus is possible only from a sick person or carrier.

In collectives, under the condition of close contact, the chance of transmission of infection in an airborne environment increases significantly. Most will be carriers, some will develop clinical forms — nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nasopharynx) and meningitis.

To reduce the risk of infection with viral diseases, it is worth washing your hands more often, rinsing the nasopharynx after visiting public places with a large crowd of people, not touching the eyes and the whole face.

For post—exposure prophylaxis, taking antibiotics is recommended — this treatment should be prescribed by a doctor.

In general, what can be done to protect yourself from infections?

It is necessary to restore the immune forces of the body. Give in to stress less. Normalize sleep. Sleep at least 7-8 hours and be sure to capture the time from 22 to 3 am. With enough sleep and at the right hours, the body rests, the cells regenerate, the immune defense will be able to cope with viruses and stress.

You need to add sports or active outdoor activities to your schedule. Oxygen entering the mitochondria during respiration is necessary for the addition of hydrogen protons. In its absence, this process in the mitochondria stops. Namely, mitochondria are responsible for the production of energy in cells, which is necessary for the effective functioning of all body functions.

It is worth undergoing rehabilitation with the use of medical technologies after long-term illnesses to fully restore the body. The immune system can be additionally trained. Cryocapsule, pressure chamber, interval hypoxytherapy and other technologies provide stimulation of adaptive reserves, normalize metabolic processes and trigger self-healing mechanisms by the body itself.

«For the health care of Yekaterinburg and The Sverdlovsk region is a disgrace. This means that there is no alertness. And, most likely, there are people, our former compatriots, who cannot seek medical help in time, despite the fact that they have quasi-policies. Most of them don't, » says Onishchenko.

It should be noted, despite the fact that vaccination against meningitis is not mandatory, the population in case of a poor prognosis can be vaccinated within the so-called calendar for epidopokazaniyam.

Ekaterina Maximova