MENINGITIS

VIRAL, BACTERIAL OR FUNGAL INFECTIONS

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Stiffness in the neck
• Sensitivity to light
• Drowsiness

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS IN INFANTS

• Tense or bulging soft spot on their on their head
• Refusing to feed
• Irritable when picked up, with a high pitched or moaning cry
• A stiff body with jerky movements, or else floppy and lifeless
• Fever is often absent in infants under 3 months of age

TREATMENTS

• Intravenous antibiotics (bacterial)
• Supportive therapy (viral)
• Antifungal drugs (fungal)
• Bacterial form can be fatal
• Vaccines are available for some forms

PREVENTION

• Vaccines that prevent Meningitis include: HiB, pneumococcal, and meningococcal
• Know the symptoms because Meningitis can kill and disable in hours
• Research is being conducted in the UK because GBS is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in newborns
• As a result of research in the study in the UK, a new vaccine is in phase II trials
• Only families that can afford to buy the vaccination privately will be able to protect their children.

SOURCES

• Meningitis Research Foundation
• www.meningitis.org
• Verneda Lights and Elizabeth Boskey, PhD
• George Krucik, MD
• Ask.healthline.com/meningitis#Prevention