Rennes metropolitan area: 100,000 young people affected by a vaccination campaign against meningitis

The Brittany Regional Health Agency (ARS) announced Friday evening a "large-scale" vaccination campaign that will involve 100,000 young people aged 15 to 24 in the Rennes metropolitan area following several cases of meningitis.

In France, a resurgence of cases of invasive meningococcal infections (IMI), including those linked to serogroup B, was observed during the 2024-2025 season "with a particularly high number of cases in January," the ARS said in a press release.

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The territory of the Rennes metropolitan area, with nearly half a million inhabitants, is "particularly affected by this situation."

Since December, the ARS of Brittany has "intervened in several situations of invasive meningococcal B infections in Ille-et-Vilaine, in particular by treating detected cases and contact persons", including two outbreaks in a Rennes business school and within a family.

Genomic analysis of the strains of bacteria responsible for these cases of IIM at the Pasteur Institute revealed "an infection by a single strain of the bacteria," according to the same source.

The investigation conducted by ARS Bretagne and Public Health France "did not find any epidemiological link between the two groups of cases", which suggests circulation of this strain in the Rennes metropolitan area.

"This situation is characterized by a higher than usual number of cases of infection in this territory," emphasizes the ARS.

Thus, "in order to protect the most exposed population from serious forms, the authorities are launching in the coming days a large-scale vaccination operation against meningococcus B aimed at young people aged 15 to 24 who live in, attend school or are students in the Rennes metropolitan area," which includes 43 municipalities.

This vaccination campaign could therefore concern 100,000 people.

The vaccination will be spread over several consecutive weeks "in order to allow the entire target population to access vaccination," according to the ARS, which announced the visit of Health Minister Yannick Neuder to the Breton capital on Monday.