Stay Alert For Signs of Bacterial Meningitis
On October 8, 2007, 18 year old college student Erica Oritz died in New York from bacterial menigitiscaught in the greater Boston area. Although menigitis is considered a disease affecting small children, it can happen at nearly any age. This is different from viral meningitis, which is the kind of meningitis usually talked about and normally is not lethal. One of the first signs is a killer headache very akin to migrain pain, but it comes with other signs such as a stiff neck, high fever, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and red or purple blotches on the skin, especially from the trunk of the body on down.
How Do You Get It?
You have to contract bacterial meningitis from someone else, say through contact with saliva through kissing or sharing food or drink from the same plate or cup.
Onset of symptoms develop very quickly. They can all come in a several hours or two days.
Another one of the symptoms is perhaps the most dangerous — disorientation. The victim probably will not think much of the condition. If you notice it in a loved one — 911 time! (999 in England). If not treated, the victim will eventually go into seizures which eventually kill them.
You don’t need to panic and check everybody’s bellies for splotches. (”But, I feel fine!” “Show the belly NOW!”) Bacterial meningitis is quite rare, but since there have been cases on the East Coast this month, it might spread. Since the symptoms minic a bad migraine, you need to know the difference between a “mere” migraine and the definately lethal onset of bacterial meningitis.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Is It Treatable?
The early stages of bacterial meningitis can be sucessfully treated with a round of antibiotics, no matter what your age when you get it. You also might have had a vaccination for it, for check your medical records. There are a couple of kinds of bacterial strains responsible for bacterial meningitis. For some more information about bacterial meningitis and about the vaccines, click here. Some colleges and universities require all of their students to have such vaccinations before they are allowed to attend. College and university students and health care workers are thought to be the groups at highest risk.
Hope this helps.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
I just wanted to mention that people with prior head injuries in which they suffered skull fractures are at slightly greater risk for getting bacterial meningitis. The irregularities in the normally protective skull covering make it easier for the bacteria to travel to the brain.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Thanks for the information, April. Good point.
July 26th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
[...] Meningitis [...]
November 1st, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I have seen the photograph of the “Arm and rash” and would like your permission to use it in a presentation about meningitis. The presentation is to a charitable group, involved in first aid in the UK.
With best wishes, and in hope of a quick reply,
Dennis
November 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I just got the image from Google, which got it from Photobucket. Here’s the original URL:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/cordiod/Psoriasis%20Chronicles/rightwholearm.jpg
Hope this helps. Good luck!
November 16th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
[...] usually is a call from colleges and universities to make students and their families aware of the signs of bacterial meningitis, which can be lethal. Although there is a push in America to get all college students vaccinated [...]