MENINGITIS

• Meningitis is one of the most

terrifying diseases.
• It can be fatal in hours yet its early
symptoms resemble self-limiting
conditions like flu and colds…..
Casualties…
• Meningitis has
claimed the lives of
two children and a
woman in Wigan.
• A five-month-old baby
and a 42-year-old
woman have also died
of the brain disease in
south Wales. The characteristic blotches of
the bacterial form of the disease
 What is meningitis?

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid
that surrounds the brain. Meningitis is usually caused by an
infection with a virus, with a bacterium or even with fungi.
 Definition of meningitis
 A general name for inflammation of :

• sheaths that cover the brain

and spinal cord. • the fluid that circulates in the spaces
in and around the brain and spinal cord.

Meningitis can be caused by infectious or noninfectious agents. Infectious

agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms such as
protozoa and rickettsia.
 TYPE OF MENINGITIS

 Caused by virus. • Caused by bacteria

 Less severe
 Resolves without specific
treatment within a week or two
 Also called as aseptic
Meningitis
 Eg : Enteroviruses (family of
viruses)
• Quite severe and may result in
a) brain damage
b) hearing loss
c) learning disability
• It would also causes death!

For bacterial meningitis, it is also important to know which type of

bacteria is causing the meningitis because antibiotics can prevent
some types from spreading and infecting other people.
 • Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)

• Meningococcus
• Pneumococcus
Meningococcus
• Common organisms that cause meningitis in
children.
• Caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis.
• There are several strains of Neisseria
meningitidis.
• Strain B causes about 75 percent of the
meningococcal cases and has the highest fatality
rate.
Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib)

• Is caused by haemophilus bacteria. It was

once the most common form of bacterial
meningitis,
• One of the deadliest childhood diseases.
Pneumococcus
• Is caused by pneumococcus bacteria,
which also cause several diseases of the
respiratory system, including pneumonia.
• It has a fatality rate of about 20 percent.
• It also results in a higher incidence of brain
damage than other forms of the disease.
 How do people get it?
• The most frequent cause of meningitis is the entry of
microorganisms from an infection elsewhere in the body through
the blood into the cerebrospinal fluid.

• Luckily, it's not easy to get meningitis. The body has natural
defenses against infections - and usually even if someone comes
across a virus or bacteria that can cause meningitis, the body can
fight it off.

• However, certain germs may outsmart the body's defenses and

spread inside of the body. Some of these germs might then have
the ability to infect the central nervous system, invading the
meninges and causing meningitis.
Symptoms

Symptoms of meningitis can come on very quickly or take a couple of

days to appear. Most cases of meningitis occur in the first 5 years of life,
with the peak incidence between 3 and 5 months of age.
Incubation
• This varies with the organism and the
underlying cause of the meningitis, but once the
organisms have entered the cerebrospinal fluid,
the body defenses cannot control their rapid
growth as well as they could when the
organisms were only in the bloodstream.

• Once bacteria have entered the spinal fluid, the

child usually shows symptoms fairly rapidly.
Complications of Meningitis
One of the most common problems
resulting from meningitis is hearing loss.
Anyone who has had meningitis should
take a hearing test.

Young children:
1. Babyish behavior
2. Forgetting recently learned skills
3. Reverting to bed-wetting
4. Babyish behavior
Older people:
1. Lethargy
2. Recurring headaches
3. Difficulty in concentration
4. Short-term memory loss
5. Clumsiness
6. Balance problems
7. Depression
Serious complications

Other serious complications

can include:
- Brain damage
- Epilepsy
- Changes in eye sight
Can Meningitis be cured?
 It can!
 Bacterial meningitis can be treated with a number of
effective antibiotics. It is important, however, that
treatment be started early in the course of the disease.
Appropriate antibiotic treatment of most common types of
bacterial meningitis should reduce the risk of dying from
meningitis to below 15%, although the risk is higher
among the elderly.
 Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or a
bacterium is important because of differences in the
seriousness of the illness and the treatment needed.
Vaccine for meningitis
• There are vaccines against Hib and against some strains
of N. meningitidis and many types of Streptococcus
pneumoniae. The vaccine against haemophilus influenze
(Hib) has reduced Hib meningitis cases by 95% since
1985.
• There are vaccines to prevent meningitis due to S.
pneumoniae. The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
is recommended for all persons over 65 years of age
and younger persons at least 2 years old with certain
chronic medical problems.
 SUMMARY
• Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membrane lining the brain and
spinal cord caused most often by a viral or bacterial infection that crosses the
body's blood-brain barrier.
• Meningitis is diagnosed by a lumbar puncture , in which a small amount of
fluid is collected from the spinal column.
• There are two main types of meningitis: bacterial and viral. Bacterial
meningitis is less common, but more serious.
• Bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics and the majority of patients
make a full recovery.
• Viral meningitis usually requires no treatment beyond painkillers.
• Most patients make a full recovery from meningitis. A small number of infected
people end up with hearing or vision loss or brain damage.
• Vaccinations against some forms of meningitis are available. They are
recommended for children under age 5, people in close contact with someone
who has developed meningitis, college students, and people travelling to
certain overseas destinations.