Five-year-old girl dies from meningitis in Malaga's Hospital Materno

A five-year-old girl died at the Maternal Infantil hospital in Malaga on Monday, according to sources from the Andalusian regional government. Authorities are conducting tests to determine the cause of death, although all indications point to meningitis. The specific subtype is currently unknown.

The girl was admitted on Monday after a transfer from another hospital in the Axarquía district.

The regional government has carried out "the necessary preventive measures in the child's environment to prevent possible infections" and contacted the child's family and school.

Health sources have confirmed to SUR that they are suspecting bacterial meningitis, although the exact variant is pending microbiology tests.

The protocol for these types of cases is clear: the school and the child's close circle are notified of the possible cause of death in order to confirm that exposed close contacts are protected.

Meningitis presents with fever, severe headache and a deterioration in general health, as well as neck stiffness, vomiting, drowsiness or confusion and sensitivity to light. To confirm the diagnosis, a lumbar puncture is performed and cerebrospinal fluid is extracted for analysis. In the laboratory, the sample is cultured. After around 24 hours, sometimes sooner, the analysis indicates whether the cause is viral or bacterial.

Bacterial meningitis usually requires contact tracing, involving chemoprophylaxis with antibiotics for close family members, schoolmates or teaching staff, as appropriate. Epidemiologists also analyse vaccination status and the level of protection within the community in order to limit potential chains of transmission.

The vaccination calendar for children in Andalucía includes vaccines against some of the main agents that cause bacterial meningitis, as part of disease prevention strategies.