Prevention of epidemic meningitis

Epidemic meningitis, also known as meningococcal meningitis, is a serious and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord. 

 

Why should parents pay attention to the prevention of epidemic meningitis during winter and spring?

Both winter and spring are periods when high incidences of respiratory infectious diseases and epidemic meningitis occur.

Epidemic meningitis has a high mortality rate (over 10 percent), and ranks in the top five most deadly diseases in China.

Some 20 percent of patients with epidemic meningitis will have serious disabilities, and 1/3 will have lifelong sequelae related to neurological damage, such as intellectual, visual and perceptual impairments.

Without producing any clinical symptoms, the meningitis bacteria can stay on the upper respiratory tract's surface for a very long time in a condition known as "asymptomatic carrying." 

 

Winter and spring normally see high prevalence of viral respiratory illnesses like influenza. The respiratory mucosa is harmed by viral infection, which also lessens the density of the mucosal barrier. Through the mucosal barrier, the colonized meningitis bacteria cause a dangerous infection known as bacteremia. Through blood circulation, the germs enter the nerve system and cause meningitis.

 

Infants under one year of age are in a crucial stage of growth, and their immune systems have not fully developed, which means they are at risk of contracting many infections. But parents don't need to worry too much. There are two basic methods for preventing and treating epidemic meningitis.

 

Let's start with non-medicine intervention. For instance, maintain good hygiene, avoid interaction between infants and those suffering from epidemic meningitis, wear masks during any outbreaks, and avoid bringing infants to crowded public places.

 

Second, medicine intervention. Make sure your baby is vaccinated against epidemic meningitis. Young mothers are unable to provide their babies with protective mother-to-child antibodies because they lack the antibodies themselves. Therefore, one of the best ways to protect infants and young children against epidemic meningitis is vaccination. 

 

High fever, headache, vomiting and skin bleeding are typical symptoms of epidemic meningitis. However, babies are not able to talk about their discomfort. The protruding of the fontanel on the head is a typical manifestation of increased brain pressure in infants.