Group items tagged

it is important to know the specific cause of meningitis.

Having meningitis doesn't always mean you have meningococcal disease

having meningococcal disease doesn’t necessarily mean you have meningitis

 Meningococcal disease is any infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, or meningococcus

Bacterial meningitis is contagious

spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (i.e., kissing

contamination

, are most often spread from person to person through fecal contamination

can occur when changing a diaper

or using the toilet and not properly washing hands afterwards), but enteroviruses can also be spread via eye, nose, and mouth secretions (such as saliva, nasal mucus, or sputum), or blister fluid.

Meningitis

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.

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.

They can become inflamed when an infection occurs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding these membranes. Other things such as medications, tumours, and chemical exposure can also cause meningitis.

majority of people with meningitis that is not caused by bacteria (e.g., meningitis caused by a virus) recover quickly and completely

bacterial meningitis is fatal for 1 in 10 people

even with treatment

1 in 5 people will be left with problems such as deafness or brain injury

Quick diagnosis and treatment are vital

The most common causes of meningitis are bacteria or viruses, although there are many other causes.

fungi

over half the population carries one or another of these bacteria in the back of the nose and throat

exotic

such as parasites

tropical countries.

Meningitis commonly occurs when bacteria or viruses make their way into the fluid surrounding the brain.

Sometimes they enter directly as a result of an operation such as brain surgery. Sometimes they erode through the small bones in our skull, for instance in extreme cases of severe sinusitis. Sometimes they are carried there by our blood from an infection occurring elsewhere in our body such as pneumonia (a lung infection). But in most cases, we don't really understand how and why this happens.

Cryptococcus, a fungus, can also cause meningitis. It usually occurs in people with weakened immune systems, such as people with AIDS

Tuberculosis (TB) can cause meningitis

Certain medications and chemical irritants can cause in inflammation of the brain similar to meningitis. There have also been rare reports of vaccines causing meningitis. Viral or chemically-induced meningitis often goes away on its own.

Bacterial meningitis, on the other hand, is a very serious illness.

people with poor immune systems

enter the cerebrospinal fluid and begin multiplying, the bacteria cause inflammation and other symptoms of meningitis.

can't live outside the human body for very long.

not eating

There are many species of bacteria that can cause meningitis.

Children under the age of 2 are most susceptible to meningitis. Other things that increase the risk are:

brain or spinal cord surgery

commonly transmitted by coughing, sneezing, and kissing

impaired or abnormal immune system

kidney failure

the use of corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone)

cancer, especially breast, lung, skin, leukemia, and lymphoma. When cancer is the cause of the meningitis it is called carcinomatous meningitis or leptomeningeal metastatis.

People with bacterial meningitis quickly become very sick, usually within hours, and shouldn't wait to get medical treatment.

Symptoms of meningitis can include:

high fever over 39°C (102°F)

stiff and sore neck, especially when it's moved, turned, or bent (the discomfort is caused by inflammation of the meninges) – this may not occur in people whose immune systems are not functioning properly, such as:

people taking corticosteroids

people with AIDS

people taking cancer or transplant medications

seniors

children less than 24 months of age and especially those less than 6 months of age.

severe headache due to extra pressure in the head – look for signs of fussiness and irritability in children too young to complain of a headache

If blood vessels in the brain become inflamed, the brain won't get enough oxygen. This can make a person drowsy and less responsive, and, in extreme situations, they can fall into a coma. Lack of oxygen to the brain can also cause seizures.

Symptoms for very young children can include:

fever, with cold hands and feet

vomiting

head injury

difficulty waking up

high-pitched moaning or crying

arching their backs and pulling at their necks

not settling down or taking comfort when held

having a vacant expression

showing a pale, mottled complexion

rash (red or purple pinpricks)

Long-term complications can occur and last long after the infection has been treated. These include deafness, mental impairment, paralysis, and sometimes seizures that require lifelong treatment.

Fever Irritability Poor eating Hard to wake up

Nausea Stiff neck Vomiting High fever Sleepiness Lack of appetite Severe headache Trouble waking up Sensitivity to bright light

Due to the fact that the symptoms of viral meningitis are similar to the ones of bacterial meningitis which is often more severe and has the potential to be fatal, it is important for people who are suspected of having meningitis to pursue medical care, and have their spinal fluid tested.

he mumps, varicella-zoster, and enteroviruses can also spread through either direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions such as sputum, saliva, or nasal mucus from a person who has been infected

The viruses may also remain on surfaces for days, transferring from other objects, or spread directly when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes, sending droplets containing the virus into the air another person breathes.

The period of time involved from when a person first becomes infected until they develop symptoms is referred to as the, 'incubation period.' The incubation period for enteroviruses is between 3 and 7 days.

Preventing the various viral infections that are out there from infecting you involves some specific measures.

Preventing the spread of these viruses can be hard because people who have become infected may not seem to be sick and have the ability to spread them to other people

Clean doorknobs, handles, the TV remote control – clean them with soap and water and then disinfect them with a bleach-based cleaning product or a solution of ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water.

Viruses that cause viral meningitis can spread through either direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions; it is important to cover your cough with a tissue or at least your upper arm. Once you have used a tissue, throw it away. Wash Your Hands!

Avoid sharing eating utensils, drinking glasses, or other items with people who are sick or others if you are sick. Avoid bites from insects and mosquitoes that have the potential to carry diseases that can infect you - it can help to reduce your risk for viral meningitis.

There are vaccinations that can help to protect children against some of the diseases that may lead to viral meningitis, such as the measles and mumps vaccine (MMR), and the chickenpox vaccine.

Wash your hands thoroughly, and wash them often. It is particularly important to wash your hands after using the toilet, changing a diaper, blowing your nose, or coughing.

Fever and chillsMental status changesNausea and vomitingSensitivity to light (photophobia)Severe headacheStiff neck (meningismus)

Antibiotics do not treat viral meningitis.

Viral meningitis is usually not serious, and symptoms should disappear within 2 weeks with no lasting complications.

If you think that you or your child has symptoms of meningitis, get emergency medical help immediately. Early treatment is key to a good outcome.

Haemophilus vaccine (HiB vaccine) in children helps prevent one type of bacterial meningitis.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is now a routine childhood immunization. It is very effective at preventing pneumococcal meningitis

acterial meningitis infections are extremely serious, and may result in death or brain damage,

eningococcal vaccination is recommended for:Adolescents ages 11 - 12 and adolescents entering high school (about age 15) who have not already received the vaccination. A booster shot is given between age 16-18.All college freshmen who have not been vaccinated and are living in dorms. Children age 2 and older who do not have their spleen or who have other problems with their immune system.Those traveling to countries where diseases caused by meningococcus are very common (ask your doctor).

eople with cold sores or genital herpes are not at a greater risk of developing herpes meningitis.

AgitationBulging fontanelles in babies Decreased alertnessPoor feeding or irritability in childrenRapid breathing

Unusual posture, with the head and nec

k arched backwards (opisthotonos)

Fast heart rateFeverMental status changesStiff neckIf the hea

Brain damage

Buildup of fluid between the skull and brain (subdural effusion)Hearing lossHydrocephalus

Seizures

causes of meningitis are viral infections that usually get better without treatment.

Meningitis is a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges)

Meningitis may also be caused by:

Chemical irritationDrug allergiesFungiParasitesTumors

Symptoms

The symptoms of meningitis vary, but often include:

Other symptoms may include:

Diagnosis

Meningitis is diagnosed by testing some of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord for disease-causing bacteria or infection-fighting cells.

Expected Duration

Viral meningitis tends to get better on its own in seven to 10 days. In contrast, if bacterial meningitis is not diagnosed and treated early, it can cause permanent disability or death.

Viral meningitis is treated much like the flu, with rest and plenty of fluids, and you should recover in a week to 10 days.

Treatment

The prognosis for bacterial meningitis depends on the person's age, which bacterium is causing the disease, and how early the disease was diagnosed.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).

Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus).

Haemophilus influenzae (haemophilus).

Listeria monocytogenes (listeria).

Other meningitis causes

Chronic meningitis

Fungal meningitis

viruses cause a greater number of cases of meningitis than do bacteria. Viral meningitis is usually mild and often clears on its own. A group of viruses known as enteroviruses is responsible for most viral meningitis cases in the United States. These viruses tend to circulate in late summer and early fall. Viruses such as herpes simplex virus, HIV, mumps, West Nile virus and others also can cause viral meningitis.

Most cases of meningitis in the U.S. are caused by a viral infection,

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord.

headache, fever and a stiff neck

bacterial and fungal infections also can lead to meningitis.

can get better on its own in a couple of weeks

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord. The swelling associated with meningitis often triggers the "hallmark" signs and symptoms of this condition, including headache, fever and a stiff neck.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria neisseria meningitidis

ent.  Our universities—many universities have very high coverage with the licensed and recommended vaccine that protects against serogroup C and Y. So we started to see fewer cases of serogroup C and Y meningococcal disease and more cases of serogroup B disease.

Reports of this disease is more common in the winter months.  Typically almost all cases of meningococcal disease are sporadic.  Very few cases occur as part of our -- as part of an outbreak in terms of the total number of cases we see in the United States.  But we do see a couple of meningococcal disease outbreaks typically every year.

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, which is known as the meninges. 

Septicemia is an infection of the blood stream, and septicemia causes bleeding in the skin and organs and is often when we see complications from meningococcal disease that are not neurologic, it's frequently caused by septicemia.

bout 15 percent of survivors have long term disabilities such as loss of limbs, deafness, nervous system problems, or brain damage.  Early recognition and early treatment of meningococcal disease is key to reduce the long-term sequelae. 

ten difficult to diagnose meningococcal disease because often the first signs and symptoms are similar to the flu

even with antibiotic treatment, people die in about 10 to 15 percent of cases of meningococcal disea

Vaccination is the best way to prevent meningococcal disease when it's a vaccine preventable strain.  Hand washing and covering your coughs or sneezes is also a good practice to follow.  It's critical everybody be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease and to seek treatment immediately. 

igns and symptoms of meningococcal disease include rapid onset of high fever, headache, and stiff neck.  And when we say headache, we mean it's among the worst headaches that somebody's had in their life.  And with the stiff neck, they really can't move their neck, or they can't, for example, touch their chin to their neck.  Towards their chest, excuse me.  Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, confusion, exhaustion, and sometimes a rash.

eningococcal bacteria are harder to spread than viruses

don't live long outside the body. 

pread through the exchange of respiratory secretions. 

oommates who spend a lot of time together, are potential close contacts of a case of meningococcal disease.

about 10 percent of people, not just in outbreaks, but all over in the United States, carry these bacteria in the back of their nose or throat and don't ever develop symptoms.  This is known as carriage or being a carrier.

nce a person becomes a carrier, most people develop immunity and the bacteria disappear from their nose and throat and then they're no longer a carrier.  But rarely, the bacteria invades the blood stream and this is what happens when a person develops the disease.

most cases of meningococcal disease appear to be random and aren't directly linked to each other.  Even in the case of an outbreak—the cases are not occurring among close contact with each other, it's happening in an organization or community. 

he most common one circulating in the United States are serogroups B, C and Y. 

e don't have a vaccine in the U.S. licensed to protect against serogroup B, which is the cause of the cases at Princeton University and UC Santa Barbara. 

Cases are reported quickly, meningococcal disease is highly recognized, and reported to health departments. 

CDC defines an outbreak of meningococcal disease of three or more cases in three months that can't be connected to each other.

these outbreaks occur in a certain population, like school or organizations.  Most outbreaks of this disease are self-limited and no more than three or four cases occur.  However, when cases continue to occur over several-month period, like what is happening at Princeton University, intervention is required to reduce the length of the outbreak. 

equesting use of vaccine for additional outbreaks when needed.

Partners are working hard to organize potential serogroup B vaccine campaigns at Princeton University as quickly as possible. 

o there's all sorts of quality things that are happening to make sure that the vaccine arrives and can be used safely and effectively.

Therefore, we are sending out a health alert to providers and state and local health departments, which will hopefully increase awareness for providers to consider meningococcal disease in their differential diagnosis, if a student presents with symptoms from one of these two universities. 

Serogroup is definitely a scientific word to describe the type of capsule around the meningococcal.  You can use the word strain when we describe different serogroups.  The word strain would be the b strain or c strain.  When we're talking about whether or not strains are linked to each other, there we do additional molecular testing which looks at more than the capsule to see if the strains are the same.  For example, we know that the strains that have caused all of the cases in -- at Princeton are identical.  That's what helps us understand if an outbreak is being caused by one strain.  And that doesn't necessarily mean you could have the same serogroup, but the strains could look a little different. 

f anything, it's just sorting reminding people to use good normal hygiene practices, such as washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into your arm.  And sort of having increased awareness for good hygiene practices. 

ases really do occur in this university setting where there's probably a very specific pattern of transmission among college students.  So we really don't have evidence to suggest that kids going home for Thanksgiving will be spreading the strain into those communities. 

here have been seven confirmed serogroup B cases at Princeton University, and one additional case in which additional testing is being conducted right now.  And there are three cases at UC Santa Barbara. 

But more people are carriers than there are actually cases.  I see what your question is, why are we not then worried about it spreading into the community.  We don't have a good -- we don't have a great understanding of the organism and how it spreads.  But what we do understand is that outbreaks really haven’t spread from universities into communities in the past.  There have been community outbreaks of meningococcal disease.  But we haven't seen cases occurring in universities expanding into those communities. 

So in most of our outbreaks, we see about three or four cases occur in a couple of month period of time and then we don't see additional cases.  Depending on the size of the college or organization in which the outbreak is occurring, those attack rates usually range anywhere from 10 to 20 per 100,000.  So one to two cases per 1,000 people at the university. 

Health officials follow up with a patient to see if they've come into close contact and then they recommend preventive antibiotics to close contacts.

anticonvulsants might be given for seizures

The vaccines against Hib, measles, mumps, polio, meningococcus, and pneumococcus can protect against meningitis caused by these microorganisms

Bacterial meningitis is rare

caused by bacteria or viruses, but some can be due to certain medications or illnesses

kids may need supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation if they have difficulty breathing.

kids get vaccinated for meningococcal disease when they're 11 years old

If someone develops shock or low blood pressure, additional IV fluids and certain medications might be given to increase blood pressure

Bacterial meningitis complications can be severe and include neurological problems such as hearing loss, visual impairment, seizures, and learning disabilities.

with a booster shot at age 16

Viral meningitis (also called aseptic meningitis

They might simply have extreme irritability, lethargy, or fever. They may be difficult to comfort, even when they are picked up and rocked

s relatively common and far less serious

fever lethargy (decreased consciousness) irritability headache photophobia (eye sensitivity to light) stiff neck skin rashes seizures

those who've had bacterial meningitis should have a hearing test following their recovery

People of any age can get meningitis

The vaccine also might be recommended for kids between 6 weeks and 10 years old who have certain high-risk medical problems, and for people traveling to countries where meningitis is more common

spread among those living in close quarters, teens, college students, and boarding-school students are at higher risk for infection.

The heart, kidneys, and adrenal glands also might be affected, depending on the cause of the infection

Common symptoms include:

get routine vaccinations

know the signs of meningitis

good hygiene is an important

If dealt with promptly, meningitis can be treated successfully

Infants with meningitis may not have common symptoms

if you suspect that your child has the illness, seek medical care right away

Encourage kids to wash their hands thoroughly and often, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom

Sharing food, drinking glasses, eating utensils, tissues, or towels all can transmit infection as well. Some infectious organisms can spread through a person's stool (poop), and someone who comes in contact with the stool — such as kids in daycare — may develop the infection.

Most cases of meningitis — both viral and bacterial — are due to infections that are contagious, spread via tiny drops of fluid from the throat and nose of someone who is infected.

Other symptoms of meningitis in infants can include: jaundice (a yellowish tint to the skin) stiffness of the body and neck fever or lower-than-normal temperature poor feeding a weak suck a high-pitched cry bulging fontanelles (the soft spot at the top/front of the baby's skull)

airborne when the person coughs, laughs, talks, or sneezes.

They then can infect others when people breathe them in or touch the drops and then touch their own noses or mouths

Bacteria and viruses that infect the skin, urinary system, or gastrointestinal and respiratory tract can spread by the bloodstream to the meninges through cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that circulates in and around the spinal cord.

Many different types of bacteria can cause bacterial meningitis

In some cases of bacterial meningitis, the bacteria spread to the meninges from a severe head trauma or a severe local infection, such as a serious ear infection (otitis media) or nasal sinus infection (sinusitis).

Seek medical attention immediately if you suspect your child has meningitis or has symptoms such as vomiting, headache, lethargy or confusion, neck stiffness, rash, and fever