Meningitis
Vaccinations
About Meningitis
What is Meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. High fever, headache, and stiff neck are common symptoms of meningitis in anyone over the age of 2 years. These symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take 1 to 2 days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking at bright lights, confusion, sleepiness and coma.
How is Meningitis transmitted?
Bacterial Meningitis is contagious. The bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (i.e., coughing, kissing) Enteroviruses, the most common cause of viral Meningitis, are most often spread from person to person through faecal contamination. Enteroviruses can also be spread through respiratory secretions (saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus) of an infected person.
Why should I take the Meningitis vaccination?
Bacterial Meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disabilities. The symptoms of viral Meningitis are similar to those for bacterial meningitis, which can be fatal.
Points to Note:
Laboratory diagnostic tests are not perfect and are not 100% accurate
- We do not have a test for every disease or virus but most of those pathogens that are of public health importance or have long term implications on your health can be tested
- No one single test can be used with absolute certainty to diagnose a disease. Often, we depend on a combination of tests to make a diagnosis
- Sometimes, we have to resort to trial treatment or empiric treatment if investigative tests are inconclusive. If the patient makes a therapeutic response and feels better, we have achieved our goal
- In PUO, we are looking for treatable causes and to rule out sinister causes eg. malignancies so that we do not miss opportunities for early treatment or intervention