by Dr. Gozie John Ahukannah
- Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. This inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis is usually caused by bacteria or viruses, but can be a result of injury, malignant growth, certain drug effects or mutagens. It is important to know the specific cause of meningitis because the treatment differs depending on the cause.
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS
Meningitis caused by bacteria, like Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, and Neisseria meningitidis can be life threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Vaccines are available to help protect against some kinds of bacterial meningitis.
VIRAL MENINGITIS
Meningitis caused by viruses, like enteroviruses, arboviruses and herpes simplex viruses, is serious but often is less severe than bacterial meningitis, and people with normal immune systems usually get better on their own. There are vaccines to prevent some kinds of viral meningitis.
FUNGAL MENINGITIS
Fungal meningitis is caused by fungi like Cryptococcus and Histoplasma and is usually acquired 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 that is caused by a free-living microscopic ameba called Naegleria fowleri which is found naturally in warm water and soil.
NON-INFECTIOUS MENINGITIS
Sometimes meningitis is not spread from person to person, instead caused by cancers, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), certain drugs, head injury, and brain surgery.
In Nigeria, there are serious cases of meningitis and at least 320 people have been confirmed killed by these meningitis epidemic.
According to the Spokeswoman, federal ministry of health, Mrs Bode Akintola, an outbreak of meningitis epidemic has killed 324 people, mostly children, across several states in Nigeria since mid-December, according to the country’s ministry of health.
More than 2,500 people were infected with cerebrospinal meningitis in 16 of 36 states across Africa’s most populous nation of about 180 million people, Boade Akinola, a health ministry spokeswoman, said on Saturday as reported by Aljazeera
How it Spreads
Bacterial Meningitis
Bacterial meningitis is spread from person to person. The bacteria are spread by exchanging respiratory and throat secretions (saliva or spit) during close (for example, coughing or kissing) or lengthy contact, especially if living in closed environment.
Viral Meningitis
If you have close contact with a person who has viral meningitis, you may become infected with the virus that made the person sick. However, you are probably not likely to develop meningitis from the illness. That is because only a small number of people who get infected with the viruses that cause meningitis will actually develop meningitis.
Meningitis Versus Meningococcal Disease:
Having meningitis does not always mean you have meningococcal
disease. And having meningococcal disease doesn’t necessarily mean
you have meningitis. Meningococcal disease is any infection caused by
the bacterium Neisseria meningitisdis. Meningococcal meningitis and septicemia are two common and serious infections caused by these bacteria.
SYMPTOMS OF MENINGITIS
It’s not easy to spot the symptoms of meningitis. People often confuse the early signs and symptoms of meningitis with the flu . In fact, meningitis may come on the heels of a flu-like illness or infection. That’s why it’s important to stay alert, learn the hallmark signs and symptoms of meningitis, and act quickly. It may help save a life.
Bacterial meningitis symptoms may develop within hours or days. Viral meningitis symptoms may also develop quickly or over several days.
Here are more common signs and symptoms of both types. Not all symptoms may appear or appear in the same order. Fever, headache, and neck stiffness are the hallmark symptoms of meningitis.
Fever:
Severe, persistent headache
Neck stiffness and pain that makes it difficult to touch your chin to your chest, Nausea and vomiting. Confusion and disorientation (acting “goofy”).
Drowsiness or sluggishness,
Sensitivity to bright light, Poor appetite. More severe symptoms include seizure and coma while that of little children are fever, irritability, poor feeding, and lethargy.
Other Potential Signs and Symptoms of Meningococcal Disease.
These are additional signs and symptoms of meningococcal infection that has entered the bloodstream:
Abnormal skin color, Stomach cramps, Ice-cold hands and feet, Skin rash, Muscle ache or join, pain, Rapid breathing, and
Chills
When to Seek Medical Care:
If you suspect that your child or someone you know has meningitis or your suspect any of the above symptoms, seek medical care right away.
Abia state government ably led by Dr Okezie Ikpeazu in collaboration with the state ministry of health and other health agencies will leave no stone unturned to ensuring that Abians live healthy lives as plans are being put in place to making sure Abia is free of such deadly virus/diseases.
Parents, caregivers, community leaders, religious leaders should ensure that all the children are well immunized while adults should take much precautions and preventive measures and also visit the health centres, general hospitals in the state for medical checkups.
There are isolation centres
If your doctor suspects you have meningitis, he or she will likely put you on a round of broad-spectrum antibiotics to fight potential non-viral types of infectious meningitis. Once he or she has determined the type of meningitis you have — viral, bacterial, or fungal — your doctor should provide a more specific treatment.
Viral Meningitis Treatment
Antibiotics cannot kill viruses. If you have viral meningitis, you will be taken off whatever antibiotic therapy you may have been using.
There is no specific treatment for viral meningitis, which is often mild. Most of the time, people recover from their viral meningitis in seven to 10 days, with little more than rest, over-the-counter fever reducers/pain medications, and proper fluid. intake.
However, if you have meningitis caused by a herpes virus or influenza, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication.
For instance, the antiviral drugs ganciclovir (Cytovene) and foscarnet (Foscavir) are sometimes used to treat Cytomegalovirus meningitis in people with weakened immune systems (from HIV/AIDS or other issues), infants born with infection, or severely ill individuals.
In some cases, acyclovir (Zovirax) may be used to treat meningitis from the herpes simplex virus, although it appears to have a positive effect only when given very early in the illness. Influenza may be treated with one of several different licensed antiviral agents, including peramivir (Rapivab) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
Bacterial Meningitis Treatment:
If you have bacterial meningitis, you will be treated with one or more antibiotics that target the bacteria causing your
infection.
These antibiotics commonly include:
Cephalosporin antibiotics, such as cefotaxime (Claforan) and ceftriaxone (Rocephin), for Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitides
Ampicillin (a penicillin-class drug), for Haemophilus influenzae type B and Listeria monocytogenes Vancomycin, for penicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia
A number of other antibiotics may also be used, such as meropenem and the aminoglycoside antibiotics tobramycin (Tobi, Tobrex) and gentamicin (Garamycin, Gentak). Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and rifampin (Rifadin) are sometimes given to family members of people with bacterial meningitis to help protect them from catching the infections.
Other Meningitis Treatments
Fungal meningitis is treated with long courses of high-dose IV antifungal medications.
These medications are often part of the azole class of antifungal drugs, such as fluconazole (Diflucan), which is used to treat infections from Candida albicans, the fungus behind yeast infections. Depending on the type of infection, other antifungals may also be used.
For example, amphotericin B (Ambisome, Amphotec) is the most common treatment for cryptococcal meningitis, caused by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Amphotericin B may also be used to treat a rare type of parasitic meningitis caused by Naegleria fowleri.
Alternatively, the antifungal agent miconazole and the antibiotic rifampin may be used.
In addition to the above medications, corticosteroids may be used to reduce meningitis inflammation. Diazepam (Valium) or phenytoin (Dilantin) can help treat seizures, which may occur with bacterial and N. fowleri infections.
Make use of the Abia Telehealth initiative (call a doc) and describe the signs and sysymptoms. In case you have forgotten, The Telehealth initiative is a process in which Abians can make use of to ascertain and access quick health care. It will enable you go to any health centre in the state and get a direct contact with a doctor.
Go immediately to the nearest emergency Isolation/diagnostic centres at Ohafia, Amachara in Umuahia and Aba. If a doctor was not reachable, the supposed patient should not drive but call: 080097000010 .
Comments are closed.