MENINGITIS; facts and brief review

 MENINGITIS

Five Facts about Meningococcal Disease and Prevention

  1.  Meningococcal disease is rare, but it can be deadly, leading to death in 10-15 percent of cases.
   2. Among those who survive, as many as 19 percent live with permanent disabilities, such as brain damage, hearing loss, loss of kidney function or limb amputations.
   3. Adolescents and young adults are among those at greatest risk for meningococcal disease.
   4. Prevention of meningococcal disease is critical because it can be mistaken for flu or other viral infections and it can rapidly lead to death or disability.
   5. Health officials recommend routine vaccination against four of five major meningococcal disease serogroups (A, C, W and Y) at 11-12 with a booster at age  16. Young adults between 16 and 23 years old should also ask a healthcare provider about vaccination against serogroup B.

,Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling. However, injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections also can cause meningitis. It is important to know the specific cause of meningitis because the treatment differs depending on the cause.

    Bacterial Meningitis
    Meningitis caused by bacteria can be deadly and requires immediate medical attention. Vaccines are available to help protect against some kinds of bacterial meningitis.
    Viral Meningitis
    Meningitis caused by viruses is serious but often is less severe than bacterial meningitis. People with normal immune systems who get viral meningitis usually get better on their own. There are vaccines to prevent some kinds of viral meningitis.

    Fungal Meningitis
    Meningitis caused by fungi is rare, but people can get it by inhaling fungal spores from the environment. People with certain medical conditions, like diabetes, cancer, or HIV, are at higher risk of fungal meningitis.
  
     Parasitic Meningitis
    Various parasites can cause meningitis or can affect the brain or nervous system in other ways. Overall, parasitic meningitis is much less common than viral and bacterial meningitis.

      Amebic Meningitis
    Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare and devastating infection of the brain caused by Naegleria fowleri. Naegleria fowleri is a free-living microscopic ameba that lives in warm water and soil.
  
       Non-Infectious Meningitis
    Sometimes cancers, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), certain drugs, head injury, and brain surgery can cause meningitis.


How it spread

Bacterial Meningitis

Generally, the germs that cause bacterial meningitis spread from one person to another. Certain germs can spread through food. How people spread the germs often depends on the type of bacteria. Read about common examples of how people spread the different types of bacteria to each other.


Viral Meningitis

People can spread the viruses that cause viral meningitis to other people. If you have close contact with someone who has viral meningitis, they may spread the virus to you. However, you are not likely to develop meningitis. That’s because most people infected with these viruses will not develop meningitis.

.How Prevalent Is Meningitis?

Although meningitis is a disease that can be treated, there are some instances wherein the disease can be life-threatening. It’s said that around 10 to 12 percent of meningitis cases in industrialized countries are fatal.8

In the U.S., 3 out of 100,000 people are affected with bacterial meningitis, and 10 out of 100,000 people are diagnosed with viral meningitis annually.9 Meanwhile in the U.K., the Meningitis Research Foundation estimates that 3,200 cases of meningitis and meningococcal septicemia occur each year.10

However, these statistics pale in comparison to numbers recorded in the “meningitis belt” in sub-Saharan Africa. Countries in this area, such as Sudan, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, typically experience waves of meningitis epidemics during the dry season, from December to June. Meningitis epidemics in these places can last from two to three years.11

In the 2014 epidemic season, Global Health Observatory (GHO) data from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that there were 14,317 suspected meningitis cases and 1,304 deaths in these areas. These numbers were recorded from 19 African countries considered to be under enhanced surveillance, during the epidemic that lasted from January 1 to June 29, 2014.12


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