Meningitis

[PapaBear]

What's the deal with Bacterial Meningitis? A local 19 year old girl just died from it. Very sad. I see these commercials on TV now. They show kids playing and doing normal kid stuff, and the announcer says something like "This is what Meningitis looks like 24 hours before you child dies.". Harsh.

I had heard of it when I was a kid, but I never actually heard about anyone getting it. Now, I see it on the news several times a year. Is it on the rise, or is it just being reported more? This has to be one of the scariest things in the world for a parent to worry about.

[Dr Steve]

What's the deal with Bacterial Meningitis? A local 19 year old girl just died from it. Very sad. I see these commercials on TV now. They show kids playing and doing normal kid stuff, and the announcer says something like "This is what Meningitis looks like 24 hours before you child dies.". Harsh.

I had heard of it when I was a kid, but I never actually heard about anyone getting it. Now, I see it on the news several times a year. Is it on the rise, or is it just being reported more? This has to be one of the scariest things in the world for a parent to worry about.

Meningitis is some scary shit. My girlfriend from school died from it (years later) and she worked at a daycare and you can imagine the terror that swept through that place. No one else got it though. In all my years of practice, I've only seen one case of bacterial meningitis (the bad kind), so it's not that common. However, when it happens, it's very serious. Mortality rates for meningitis approach 30%.

The incidence of meningitis in kids has dropped DRAMATICALLY since the institution of multiple vaccines against the condition. It used to be a lot more common, so I'd say you're just noticing more reporting on it.

Basically, meningitis is an infection of the central nervous system. Inflammation caused by immune response in the lining of the CNS causes increased pressure in the brain and can lead to brain damage or death. Early detection and treatment is the key; high fever, rash, and changes in consciousness are key indicators.

Here is an excellent article on bacterial meningitis: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/961497-overview

hope this helps. Everything scares me when it comes to my kids.


steve

[jauble]

A friend of mine died from this a few weeks before he was to get the vaccine. It terrifies me how quickly he was gone. If you haven't gotten the shot and you have no reason not to please get it.

[Freakshow]

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sorry. I couldn't resist. :flush:

[PapaBear]

It terrifies me how quickly he was gone.
The girl I mentioned in the first post started feeling a little under the weather on a Friday. By Monday she was on life support so they could harvest her organs. She was actually sent home by the hospital at least two times, because they insisted she had the flu.