Your Childrens Health

Meningitis is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease, and involves an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. Some of the more common symptoms of meningitis include fever, lethargy (decreased consciousness), irritability, headaches, photophobia (eye sensitivity to light), and a stiff neck. The inflammation can be caused by a variety of factors, including bacterial infections and viral infections, and also by some species of fungi, protozoa, and other parasites.

The vast majority of meningitis cases result from infections that are themselves contagious. Many of the bacteria and viruses that are responsible for meningitis are fairly common. Good personal hygiene is an important means of preventing any infection. Encourage your family members to wash their hands thoroughly and often, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom. Avoiding close contact with someone who is ill and not sharing food, drinks, or eating utensils can help halt the spread of germs as well.

There is no single vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis. However, there are a wide range of vaccines that protect against various forms of the disease.

Some forms of Viral Meningitis are caused by infection with measles, polio, chickenpox, or mumps, and these forms of meningitis can be prevented by being vaccinated against these diseases. Once successfully vaccinated, your body will be able to fight off the virus that causes these diseases, thereby protecting you from the disease and also from the viral forms of disease that can cause meningitis.

A range of new vaccines are available which are highly effective against Hib meningitis, most cases of Pneumococcal Meningitis, and Meningococcal bacteria type C which causes one form of Meningococcal Meningitis.

Hib was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5 years of age before its vaccines were introduced. These Hib vaccines include ActHIB, HibTITTER, and PedvaxHIB, and all may be given simultaneously with other vaccines. Hib vaccination should be performed 4 times for each child - at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age.

Another vaccine, the menomune vaccine, is effective against Meningococcal bacteria types A, B, C, W135 and Y, but does not protect against type B of this bacteria. This vaccine is recommended for people who live in crowded buildings, such as students living in residential halls on campus.

The prevnar vaccine protects against 7 out of the 80 most common strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae that occur in neonates and infants. Those 7 are accountable for 86% of pneumococcal infections in infants. Vaccination with the prevnar vaccine should be performed 4 times for each child - at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age.

The pneumovax vaccine usually protects against pneumococcal forms of meningitis within 2-3 weeks of vaccination. This is a polysaccharide vaccine which is given to adults over 65 years old who suffer from sickle cell disease, HIV infection, or another conditions.

If you or your child has had contact with someone who has or recently developed meningitis (for example, in a child-care centre or a college dorm), then seek professional medical advice and start appropriate preventive medication and treatment immediately.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 9th, 2006 at 8:28 pm and is filed under Meningitis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.