After being infected with bacteria that cause meningococcal meningitis, children will begin to experience the following symptoms: Sudden high fever, in some cases, children may have a high fever of up to 41 degrees Celsius; Muscle pain, fatigue; Cough, sore throat; Feeling chills, chills; Severe headache; Appearance of convulsions; Sleeplessness; Poor appetite, refusal to breastfeed; Skipping play; Nausea, vomiting; Stiff neck...
Compared to the same period in 2025, when the whole country recorded 14 cases, the number of cases this year has increased significantly. That difference is not just a few numbers on paper. It is a warning about a real risk to public health, especially for children - a group that is still physically immature, vulnerable and largely dependent on early care and recognition by adults.
It is worth mentioning that the current cases have not broken out into large outbreaks, but have quietly appeared scattered in the community. This scatteredness easily creates subjective psychology: The disease has not broken out strongly, has not been right in their neighborhood, has not gone to their children's school, so many people think that the danger is still far away. But reality shows that epidemics do not always start with large numbers. It often starts from negligence, from a few ignored signs, from delays in early detection and treatment.
4 cases of meningococcal deaths are clearly no longer a story of the health sector alone. This is a story of each family, each school and each community. Because in most cases, the disease becomes severe not only because of dangerous pathogens but also because the patient or caregiver recognizes symptoms too late, to miss the "golden time" for intervention.
Children under 15 years old account for nearly half of the cases. Young children cannot protect themselves from diseases. They cannot distinguish what are abnormal signs to report early, nor can they prevent the disease themselves if they lack care and reminders from their families. Just a little subjectivity from adults, the price may be the health, even the life of children.
Reality shows that in preventing and controlling infectious diseases, the most dangerous thing is not only the pathogen but also psychology. Many people only take their children to the doctor when symptoms are severe, or monitor at home for too long because they think it is just a common manifestation. That confusion, coupled with the habit of neglecting disease prevention measures, has contributed to increasing the number of cases in recent times.
With this disease, the concern is to be properly vigilant. Each family needs to proactively monitor the health of their loved ones, especially young children; not ignore abnormal signs; strictly implement disease prevention measures according to the recommendations of the health sector. Schools, localities and functional agencies also need to strengthen communication to make people understand that disease prevention is not a trend, but a vital habit.
24 cases may not be too large a number if viewed nationwide. But 4 deaths are a loss that cannot be considered small. And when the disease tends to increase compared to the same period last year, any subjectivity can pay a heavy price.
