Meningitis
Meningitis is still with us. It can strike in an instant, but the impact can last a lifetime - Meningitis Now
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The mystery of meningitis
It’s every paediatrician’s nightmare. A child arrives in the Emergency Department with a high fever, a rash whose spots don’t go white when you press them under a glass and who turns their head away from the light. The toddler was well until a few hours before and, from the parents’ story, things are going downhill fast. If you get the diagnosis wrong, the child could be dead within hours.
The safest assumption is that meningitis-causing bacteria are coursing though the patient’s bloodstream (septicaemia) and infecting the membranes (meninges) around the brain. The imperative is to get intravenous antibiotics into the child as soon as possible.
Several types of bacteria…
Resources
Africa’s meningitis belt: why there’s a case for a booster vaccination drive
Meningitis and neonatal septicaemia (or sepsis) combined are among the most deadly infections for children under five globally. The combination is responsible for more deaths than malaria, AIDS, measles and tetanus put together. Vaccination is the only way to protect vulnerable groups from meningitis and sepsis. What we need to do is ensure people are protected from infancy and remain protected into adulthood.
A Bad Outlook for a Bad Disease
One of the worst things that you could ever wish on an enemy is bacterial meningitis. It comes suddenly and it is very painful, difficult to treat, and highly lethal. Many survivors are affected for life by physical disabilities such as deafness, speech impediments, and even limb amputations.
Killer Disease on Campus
Despite all the progress in intensive care and the introduction of new vaccines for all but one type of meningococcal disease, the scourge still strikes fear into whole communities. It's a killer that doesn't discriminate, and across the world, hundreds of thousands die from it each year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. I only hope that in my lifetime, the investment in vaccine research pays off and that eventually no more children and parents will have to suffer the pain and anguish that I have witnessed so many times.
Lessons From Meningitis
The recent outbreak of fungal meningitis, which has resulted in a steadily increasing number of deaths, crystalizes the importance of vigilant regulation of the pharmaceutical industry and affirms the need for swift correctional mechanisms in the case of tainted medicines.
Meningitis 101: Commonly Asked Questions
Vaccination is the best way to protect you and your family from bacterial meningitis. Other sensible precautions, like avoiding sharing utensils, etc. may also be useful. In addition, smoking has been shown to increase the risk of getting meningococcal meningitis.
Meningitis Not 'a Gay Disease'
After the death of a homosexual man in West Hollywood this weekend, a city councilman conjured and addressed potential homophobic misunderstanding. Bacterial meningitis is an equal-opportunity pestilence.
Progress and challenges in bacterial meningitis
Bacterial meningitis is a devastating disease that is associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. The major causative bacteria are Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitis , with case-fatality rates of 30% and 7%, respectively, in high-income countries. In resource-poor countries, fatality rates can be as high as 50%.
The Meningitis Files
Meningitis is one of the most terrifying diseases. It can be fatal in hours yet its early symptoms resemble self-limiting conditions like flu and colds. BBC News Online's health team offers a guide to the disease, the issues it raises for the health service and the science employed to defeat it.
Why College Campuses Get Hit By Meningitis Outbreaks
Well, we know that adolescents and young adults are at higher risk for meningococcal disease overall. But meningitis occurs in all age groups and it occurs in all states in the U.S. So every day there's a case or two. Most cases are sporadic; they just happen individually and that's it. In fact, 98 percent of cases are sporadic.
Why Is Meningitis Still Causing Deaths on U.S. College Campuses?
There's an effective vaccine, but 12 states still don't require it for incoming students.
Winning Hearts and Minds With a Vaccine?
Meningitis is an awful disease. It comes on suddenly, kills frequently, disables its survivors for life, and devastates families economically and emotionally. When it occurs in epidemics, as it does frequently in Africa's "Meningitis Belt", it has the power to disrupt entire communities and health systems...
The mystery of meningitis
Meningitis is generally a disease doctors expect to see only in children or young adults. So clinicians’ antennae aren’t up when someone older comes into the surgery sick...
Meningitis Angels
Not just college freshmen living in dorms get meningitis. Please educate yourself, speak to your health care provider, follow ACIP recommendations for adolescents and get immunized.
Meningitis Centre Australia
Meningitis Centre Australia Inc is a not-for-profit organisation based in Perth, Western Australia. It was established in 1992 by a group of parents and health care professionals who recognised the need to raise public awareness of meningitis and its various forms.
Meningitis Foundation of America
Founded in 1997, the Meningitis Foundation of America is the first national non-profit in the United States of America dedicated to the education, vaccination and eradication of meningitis. Our mission is to support sufferers of meningitis and their families through support groups, advocate for advanced research for the prevention and the long term effects of various meningitis strains as well as facilitating programs to educate the public about the causes and symptoms of meningitis.
Meningitis Now
Our vision is a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Meningitis Research Foundation
The charity funds research to prevent meningitis and septicaemia, and to improve survival rates and outcomes.
Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada
The Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada is dedicated to the prevention of Meningitis, to improving survival rates and outcomes, and to the support of families of those whose lives have been changed by this disease.
National Meningitis Association
NMA''s mission is to educate families, medical professionals and others about bacterial meningitis and prevention approaches to the disease.
The Jamie Group
The mission of The J.A.M.I.E Group is to share knowledge about meningitis so that all can avoid this devastating but vaccine preventable disease. We are committed to lead the fight through education & community awareness & to advocate for increased information for students, parents, teachers & the medical profession. With your help, we can carry out this mission to secure stronger & healthier communities.
CDC
Meningitis is a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis may develop in response to a number of causes, usually bacteria or viruses, but meningitis can also be caused by physical injury, cancer or certain drugs. The severity of illness and the treatment for meningitis differ depending on the cause. Thus, it is important to know the specific cause of meningitis.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Meningitis and encephalitis information page
Nederlandse Meningitis Stichting
Meningitis information, links, forum
All About Heaven
Untreated, bacterial meningitis is almost always fatal. Viral meningitis, in contrast, tends to resolve spontaneously and is rarely fatal. With treatment, mortality (risk of death) from bacterial meningitis depends on the age of the patient and the underlying cause.
Healthcare Industry Today
Meningitis News is an EIN News Service for health professionals.
KidsHealth
Kids of any age can get meningitis, but because it can be easily spread among people living in close quarters, teens, college students, and boarding-school students are at higher risk for infection.
MayoClinic
Most cases of meningitis in the U.S. are caused by a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections also can lead to meningitis. Depending on the cause of the infection, meningitis can get better on its own in a couple of weeks – or it can be a life-threatening emergency requiring urgent antibiotic treatment.
MedicineNet
Basic steps to avoid spread of organisms, such a hand washing and covering your mouth when coughing, will also help in decreasing the risk of spreading meningitis. There are vaccines against Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) and against some strains of N. meningitidis and many types of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
MedlinePlus
Early treatment can help prevent serious problems, including death. Vaccines can prevent some of the bacterial infections that cause meningitis. Parents of adolescents and students living in college dorms should talk to a doctor about the vaccination.
WHO
Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the covering of the brain and spinal cord. It is most often caused by infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal), but can also be produced by chemical irritation, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cancer and other conditions.
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