Bacterial Meningitis

An attack of bacterial meningitis green goddess be devastating beca utilisation most of its victims be usually children or infants. The symptoms of the malady provoke in addition be misread leading to improper or unforesightful discourse with fatal consequences. As bumps of misdiagnosis ar galore(postnominal) an(prenominal), it is recommended that the services of a medico be sought as quickly as the first symptoms atomic number 18 noniced. Meningitis is the infirmity caused by the inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal corduroy (Schultz, 1991). objet dart the cause of meningitis could be a virus, in the majority of cases it is bacterial. Bacterial meningitis is caused by several agents with the leading one(a) being Haemophilus grippe (Schultz, 1991). Haemophilus influenzae is a grapheme b strain and it is so named because when it was first discovered researchers believed that it was the cause of influenza or flu (Schultz, 1991), but sc ientists pass on since discovered that the flu is truly caused by a virus. A second cause of bacterial meningitis is Neisseria Meningitides or meningococcus (Meningitis, 2007).While this type of bacterial meningitis could affect tidy sum of different age sorts, it is by and large evident during epidemics and especially in places where people live in clog or crowded environments (Meningitis, 2007). Recent attacks of meningitis that took place on crowded places be the epidemics in the slums of Brazil that killed 11,000 people in 1974 and the 1996 attacks in the Sahel region that left-hand(a) 16,000 people dead (Meningitis, 2007). A third cause of bacterial meningitis is Strepococcus Pneumoniae which is also cognise as pneumococcus.(Meningitis, 2007). This kind of bacterial meningitis is most popular among adults and is obtrusive by pneumococcus infections in various come aparts of the body (Meningitis, 2007). such infections will be noniced in the victims ears or could a ppear as sinuses. While these are the main causes of bacterial meningitis, in some cases the malady could be caused by an attack of tuberculosis or Lyme disease. (Meningitis, 2007). Meningitis has various characteristics depending on the age of the victim and the cause of the infection.In infants, the symptoms of a bacterial meningitis attack will normally be preceded by an attack of diarrhea, a runny nose or vomiting (Hirsch, 2007). Some of the most common symptoms of meningitis in infants are fever, irritability, headaches, photophobia or eye sensitivity to light, cockeyed neck and skin rashes (Hirsch, 2007). Correct diagnosis of bacterial meningitis bottom wholly be done by a doctor and the service of a professional should be sought immediately there is suspicion that a meningitis attack has taken place.This is especially because the symptoms of bacterial meningitis are non-specific. In infants and children, other(a) symptoms that could be indicative of meningitis include nu chal rigidity, opisthotonos, convulsions and anorexia (Miller, Gaur & Kumar, 2008). Other symptoms that Miller (2008) says could be associated with meningitis are the bulging of the fontanelle, alterations of the sensorium and in extreme cases, coma. In infants, one indication that a bacterial meningitis attack could have taken place is the lumbering produced when the infant is crying.When the infant cries in an eerie high-pitched voice, it is a feature that it could be patronageing from bacterial meningitis (Schultz, 1991). While bacterial meningitis mainly attacks children and infants, it can also attack adults and especially the elderly. Fatalities from bacterial meningitis were common in the previous(prenominal) but today, when medical attention is offered at the appropriate time, the fatalities are few and mostly happen to very young infants or the elderly (Schultz, 1991).For people higher up 2 years of age, the symptoms of bacterial meningitis will include headaches, a stiff neck and a high fever (Schoenstadt, 2008). Bacterial meningitis can be transmitted in various ways but it is not considered a highly contagious disease. The disease is bed cover from one soulfulness to another when there is an exchange of secretions from the throat or other respiratory secretions. (Schoenstadt, 2008). For this reason, the disease can be over cattle farm when a person comes into restricting dawn with a victim who is coughing.Additionally, the disease will be spread through kissing although it is not spread as easily as the common cold or influenza. People who have prolonged contact with victims of bacterial meningitis will be at risk of contracting the disease especially when they are in the same house or have direct contact with the victims oral secretions (Schoenstadt, 2008). A wife or girlfriend risks contracting the disease from her spouse or render and vice versa. In addition, bacterial meningitis is airborne and can be spread when one stays close t o a victim who is coughing or laughing (Hirsch, 2008).Hirsch (2008) save advises that the sharing of utensils such as drinking glasses and spoons as well as the sharing of sanitary products such as hand towels can also spread the disease. Moreover, coming into contact with the potbelly of an give person can also lead to infection. This puts the children who share many facilities in day care at particularly huge risk of infection from their play mates who could be sick. Hirsch (2008), however, emphasizes that casual contact with victims does not put one at risk of contracting bacterial meningitis.Bacterial meningitis has a reputation for causing fatalities quickly and the measures taken to dainty it have to be taken as quickly as possible. Schultz (1991) notes that because the disease is known to spread extremely quickly, the moment it is suspected to have infected a person, word with intravenous antibiotics is started immediately, even before the results of the tests carried o ut to test for the diseases are out. in one case bacterial meningitis is confirmed, the patient will be put on medicament that will normally last a week or longer.To treat bacterial meningitis, antibiotics such as cephalosporins are used. The deuce best-known cephalosporins are Claforan and Rocephin. (Schultz, 1991). Since bacterial meningitis spreads quickly and also puts at risk those who are close to the patient, medication is also provided for those sharing living quarters with the patient. As a tour measure, those close to the victim will put on a short course of the antibiotic rifampin. Apart from the possibility of indispensability that is associated with bacterial meningitis, it is also known for other neurological complications (Schultz, 2008).Such complications, which could include abiding loss of hearing, convulsions and mental retardation, can ruin the life of a victim. This puts the children who suffer bacterial meningitis at very grave risks. To forestall the possib ility of these complications, treatment for children includes the antibiotics and an additional corticosteroid, dexamethasone, which is administered to prevent loss of hearing (Schultz, 1991). As with all diseases, preventive measures with bacterial meningitis are to a greater extent(prenominal) effective than the curative ones.To prevent the exploitation of the disease, a number of vaccinums have been positive for the most vulnerable group, children and infants. To apology against the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), a vaccine is used (Shultz, 1991). This vaccine is known as polysaccharide and has been in use since 1985(Schultz, 1991). The vaccine has been found to be effective in children aged two years and above and for this reason it is administered as a routine vaccine to children who are two years old.In addition, two more vaccines have been developed for children. In 1987, a vaccine was developed for children 18 months and over (Schultz, 1991). This vaccine, known as a conjugate vaccine was found to have more efficacy than the previously used polysaccharide vaccines for children in this age group (Schultz, 1991). By 1989, the conjugate vaccine had been found to be effective in children as young as 15 months and was already being administered to them.Schultz (1991) further notes that a third vaccine was developed in 1989 that could be administered to infants two months old. The development of vaccines for infants and children changes doctors to administer bacterial meningitis vaccines along with the other vaccines as part of a childs routine immunization regimen. Today, three meningitis vaccinations are administered on an infant before he reaches six months while a fourth vaccination, also known as a booster, is administered when the child is one year old (Bacterial meningitis 2).While research into other forms of vaccines for meningitis goes on, there is a vaccine that has been developed for prevention o f Stretococcal pneumoniae which has been found to be effective with adults aged above 65 years (Isom, 2005). Apart from vaccination, bacterial meningitis is preventable in many other forms. One of the easiest ways to contain an volcanic eruption of the disease is to announce suspected cases to the relevant state or health authorities to enable treatment of those who might be affected.In addition, whenever people who are not infected share premises with victims of bacterial meningitis, the former should be given antibiotics to entertain them against the risk of contracting the disease from the victims (Collins, 1997). Equally important as a preventive measure is the ability to exercise proper act precautions. While epidemics of bacterial meningitis are unlikely to occur in the US, there are regions that experience outbreaks of the disease frequently and for this reason any overseas travel should be preceded by a visit to the doctor to see if vaccination against bacterial meningiti s is necessary (Bacterial meningitis 2).While the prevalence of bacterial meningitis is low in the US, epidemics of the disease have led to massive deaths in parts of Africa and Brazil. An outbreak of the disease killed about 25,000 people in West Africa in 1996 (Hewarldt, 2006). In 2005, an outbreak of bacterial meningitis spread through cardinal Chinese cities killing eleven people (Emerling, 2005). The disease has a higher prevalence appraise in crowded neighborhoods. In the US, the disease has a higher incidence rate amongst African American and Native American populations while among infants, boys tend to more susceptible to the disease than girls (Collins, 1997).References Bacterial meningitis 2. Department of health promotion education. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http//www. dhpe. org/infect/Bacmeningitis. html Collins, J. (1997). Cooperation halts meningitis outbreak leaves positive public perception. Journal of environmental health, 59(9) 20+ Emerling, G. (2005). Ba cteria suspected in death of boy, 6 meningitis test results awaited. The majuscule times, B01 Herwaldt, L. (2006). Bacterial meningitis When symptoms start, act fast.University of Iowa hospitals and clinics. Retrieved February 23, 2009 from http//www. uihealthcare. com/topics/medicaldepartments/internalmedicine/bacterialmeningitis/index. html Hirsch, L. (2007). Meningitis. Kidshealth for parents. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http//kidshealth. org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis. html Isom, W. (2005). A gate-crash to the finish Young doctor overcomes battle with life-threatening illness. Black enterprise, 35(7), 153 Meningitis. (2007). The capital of South Carolina encyclopedia, (6).New york Columbia university press. Miller, L. , Gaur, H. , & Kumar, A. (2008). Meningitis , bacterial. Emedicine from webmd. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http//emedicine. medscape. com/article/961497-overview Schoenstadt, A. (2008). Bacterial meningitis. Medtv. Updated July 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http//meningitis. emedtv. com/bacterial-meningitis/bacterial-meningitis. html Schultz, D. (1991). Bacterial meningitis vaccines, antibiotics fight sometimes fatal disease. FDA Consumer, 25(7), 36+