Meningitis: Treatment and Prevention
What is the treatment of meningitis?
As already mentioned, meningitis is a potentially fatal disease, caused in most cases by bacteria, which requires hospitalization, as soon as possible to begin treatment with intravenous antibiotics for a week.
At the slightest suspicion of meningitis, you should go immediately to a hospital emergency department to be evaluated by a specialist.
How can meningitis be prevented?
It is estimated that carriers of the meningococcus in the nasopharynx vary between 2 and 5 100 healthy children and up to 90% in the groups of military personnel during epidemics. Typically, meningococcal meningitis is a disease of children. The organism is acquired from an adult carrier, usually from the same family. The probability of disease after a family contact is about 1%, which is multiplied by 1,000 when the contact occurs in the community.The disease occurs after contact with a carrier, or a sick child at daycare or school.
What is the risk of contracting meningitis in child care?
The risk of acquiring the disease after contact with a sick child is approximately one per thousand, being more common in children under five years, with a higher risk between 6 and 12 months.
Should be monitored particularly exposure to persons in the family, school or daycare and if you develop a fever in any of them, you should seek medical advice immediately.
Should be given a specific antibiotic (rifampicin) as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of diagnosis. In these cases, meningococcal vaccine should be used, because the immunization occurs very slowly.
credit to: Dr. Pedro Gargantilla Madera, Dra. Gillian Rice