Bacterial Meningitis

An attack of bacterial meningitis can be devastating because most of its victims are usually children or infants. The symptoms of the disease can also be misread leading to improper or inadequate treatment with fatal consequences. As risks of misdiagnosis are many, it is recommended that the services of a physician be sought as quickly as the first symptoms are noticed. Meningitis is the disease caused by the inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord (Schultz, 1991).While 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 being Haemophilus influenza (Schultz, 1991). Haemophilus influenzae is a type â€Å"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 scientists have since discovered that the flu is actually 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 people of different age groups, it is mostly evident during epidemics and especially in places where people live in congested or crowded environments (Meningitis, 2007). Recent attacks of meningitis that took place on crowded places are the epidemics in the slums of Brazil that killed 11,000 people in 1974 and the 1996 attacks in the Sahel region that left 16,000 people dead (Meningitis, 2007). A third cause of bacterial meningitis is Strepococcus Pneumoniae which is also known as pneumococcus.(Meningitis, 2007). This kind of bacterial meningitis is most common among adults and is noticeable by pneumococcus infections in various parts of the body (Meningitis, 2007). Such infections will be noticed in the victim’s ears or could appear as sinuses. While these are the main causes of bacterial meningitis, in some cases the disease could be cause d 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, stiff neck and skin rashes (Hirsch, 2007). Correct diagnosis of bacterial meningitis can only 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 symptoms that could be indicative of meningitis include nuchal rigidity, opisthotonos, convulsions and anorexia (Miller, Gaur & Kumar, 2008). Other symptoms that Miller (2008) says could b e 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 sound produced when the infant is crying.When the infant cries in an eerie high-pitched voice, it is a sign that it could be suffering 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 past but today, when medical attention is offered at the appropriate time, the fatalities are fewer and mostly happen to very young infants or the elderly (Schultz, 1991).For people above two 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 spread from one person 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 spread when a person comes into close contact 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 victim’s oral secretions (Schoenstadt, 2008). A wife or girlfriend risks contracting the disease from her spouse or partner and vice versa. In addition, bacterial meningitis is airborne and can be spread when one stays close to a victim who is coughing or laughing (Hirsch, 2008).Hirsch (2008) further advises that the sharing of utensils such as drinking glasses and spoons as well as the sharing of sanitar y products such as hand towels can also spread the disease. Moreover, coming into contact with the stool of an infected 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 treat 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, treatment with intravenous antibiotics is started immediately, even before the results of the tests carried out to test for the diseases are out. Once bacterial meningitis is confirmed, the patient will be put on medication that will normally last a week or longer.To treat bacterial menin gitis, antibiotics such as cephalosporins are used. The two 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 preventive measure, those close to the victim will put on a short course of the antibiotic rifampin. Apart from the possibility of fatality that is associated with bacterial meningitis, it is also known for other neurological complications (Schultz, 2008).Such complications, which could include permanent 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 possibility 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 more effective than the curative ones.To prevent the development of the disease, a number of vaccines have been developed for the most vulnerable group, children and infants. To guard 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 â€Å"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 v accine 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 enables doctors to administer bacterial meningitis vaccines along with the other vaccines as part of a child’s 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 of 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 easies t ways to contain an outbreak of the disease is to report 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 protect 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 travel 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 meningitis 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 eleven Chinese cities killing eleven people (Emerling, 2005). The disease has a higher prevalence rate 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). Bacteria suspected in death of boy, 6; meningitis test results awaited. The washington times, B01 Herwaldt, L. (2006). Bacterial meningitis: When symptoms start, act fast.University of Iowa hospitals and clinics. Retrieved Febru ary 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 dash to the finish: Young doctor overcomes battle with life-threatening illness. Black enterprise, 35(7), 153 Meningitis. (2007). The Columbia 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+