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What are the Facts about Meningitis?

The thought of meningitis is terrifying to parents because, in the worst cases, the illness comes on suddenly and quickly leads to death or permanent disabilities. Fortunately, the most deadly type of meningitis is rare, but to be safe, parents should know the warning signs and basic facts about meningitis, according to Malli Challapalli, M.D., a specialist in pediatric infectious disease at the Ronald McDonaldŽ Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. She takes care of complex infections in all age groups and sees patients at Loyola's Center for Health at Hickory Hills.

What is meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining that surrounds the brain, called the meninges. Essentially, there are two types of meningitis: viral and bacterial. Cases of viral meningitis occur more frequently in summer and usually run their course with no lasting effects. Bacterial meningitis is the type that makes the news when it tragically claims a life.

How does it strike out of the blue?
"The bacteria that can cause meningitis actually live in the nose and throats of many people," Challapalli said. Scientists aren't sure why, but sometimes the bacteria get into a person's bloodstream and travel to the brain lining. However, people who carry the bacteria may actually be less susceptible to getting the disease since their body has time to build immunity to the germs. People who do not carry the bacteria may be at greater risk of catching the disease through intimate contact - like kissing or sharing a cup - with carriers.

What if a classmate gets meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis does not spread easily like a cold because the germs cannot live very long outside a human body. So playmates and classmates of a child with meningitis are not necessarily at high risk of catching the disease, but parents should consult their child's primary physician if there is an outbreak in the classroom, Challapalli noted. Usually physicians recommend that the infected child's live-in family members take antibiotics as a precaution.

What are the warning signs?
Some types of bacterial meningitis become serious in a very short time. So, if a child shows warning signs, parents should waste no time before contacting a doctor. Watch for: a high-pitched moan or cry in an infant, dislike of being handled, arching back or sore neck, blank expression, very tired and difficult to wake, fever, vomiting or refusing to eat, and a skin rash that grows from tiny pin points and does not turn white when pressed.

Challapalli emphasized that the child's behavior is the most important warning sign: "If the child is unusually drowsy and not thinking or behaving normally even after taking fever-reducing medication, the parent should seek immediate medical attention."

What can be done to prevent it?
Vaccination is the best method for fighting meningitis. There are many types of bacteria that can cause meningitis and vaccines have been developed to combat some of them. For example, since 1985, infants have been vaccinated against the Hib bacteria that was the most common cause of meningitis, and now that type of meningitis has been virtually eradicated.

Pneumococcal bacteria are now the most common culprit for causing meningitis, but two years ago, a new vaccine known as Prevnar was introduced and is very effective in protecting against that serious infection. Finally, a vaccine that targets a few strains of meningococcal meningitis is recommended for young adults who are headed to college.

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