Bacterial Meningitis Immunizations

Vaccinating your child can help be a preventative measure against serious diseases that are not fully extinct yet. One example of a preventable disease is the increase in whooping cough outbreak that was reported recently. 28,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in 2014 and 2012 was a record year with more than 48,000 cases. Almost all of the deaths were babies younger than 3 months of age, who are too young to be fully protected against whooping cough through vaccines. Another disease that is fully preventable with the help of vaccination are the measles. Measles is still fairly common in many parts of the world, like Europe, Asia, and Africa. Measles is unfortunately

Meningococcal Meningitis is the infection and inflammation of the meninges. Newborns and infants are at greatest risk for contracting bacterial meningitis with Neisseria meningitides being the typical pathogen in the majority of children age 2 months through 12 years (London, Ladewig, Ball, Bindler, & Cowen, 2011). There is a mortality rate of 10% for children who develop meningitis from this particular bacterium (Muller, 2013).

Meningococcal Meningitis is a dangerous bacterial infection that has taken the lives of many people since it has been discovered. This particular form of meningitis can be detected by symptoms that someone experiences and can also sometimes be treated. There are now methods of prevention in order to try to avoid outbreaks from occurring. This blood borne pathogen is extremely dangerous and can greatly damage someone’s life.

In 1805 there was an outbreak of an unknown disease that was infecting most the people of a small town in Switzerland. A Swiss physician named Gaspard Viesseux was the first to determine the outbreak, which was Meningococcal Meningitis. Viesseux was the first to study Meningococcal Meningitis however a pathologist named Anton Weichselbaum discovered the causative, or the bacteria, that causes meningitis. The disease could potentially fatal, especially if not treated.

Treatment-Depending on the cause, meningitis may get better on its own, or it can be life-threatening, requiring urgent antibiotic treatment. Depending on the cause, meningitis may get better on its own, or it can be life-threatening, requiring urgent antibiotic treatment.

Prognosis wise, early treatment dramatically increases survival rates; as statistics disclose that 10-15% of Meningococcal victims die – with reports adamant that young children and adults over 50 have an increased chance of death (NMA, 2014). Medical attention must be sort to immediately as soon as Meningococcal symptoms arise so that blood samples can be made. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that “diagnosis is usually made by growing bacteria from a sample of blood or spinal fluid” – the Lumbar puncture technique. If the bacterium is found in samples, antibiotics are usually a preliminary option of treatment. Antibiotics, which are not usually employed to viral or fungal infections, aim to deter the impact of bacterial infections (Illinois Department of Public Health, 2007). Vaccinations of Meningococcal are dependent on its comparative strain; there are 13 strains of Meningococcal globally. In Australia the most prominent is strain B. B vaccine Bexsero is prescribed to combat the effects of Meningococcal but is also used a preventative measure for immunisation purposes (Australian Department of Health, 2015). However, the B vaccine Bexsero and other antibiotics may prove to be ineffective if administered after the pathogens have damaged the brain and spinal cord (CDC, 2015). Conversely, prevention is far more straight forward: avoid

There are multiple different types of bacteria that can cause bacterial meningitis, which were discovered in the late 19th century. These bacteria’s are Streptococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Haemophilus influenza. (1) Russian physician Vladimir Kernig and Polish physician Jozef Brudzinski both separately found other symptoms of meningitis this leading to the Kernig’s sign and the Brudzinski sign.

A vaccine by definition is a biological advancement that helps keep you immune from a disease. The history of vaccine did not start in 1796 like most think. Vaccines have actually been around for centuries. There is evidence that Chinese Empires had vaccines around 1000 CE, but these vaccines were nothing like what is around today. Edward Jenner made the first modern day vaccine in 1796. Jenner experimented on a boy and came to the conclusion that if he was injected with cowpox and than exposed to small pox that the boy would become immune. Even though his work did not immediately kill out the disease, Jenner inspired other scientists to find out more about vaccines. There are many ways to make a modern day vaccine. First, they take the virus or bacteria and they grow it in a lab. Next they isolate the disease away from the lab materials, which made it grow. Than, they purify the disease, which weakens it. Also, an adjuvant may be added to help the immune system fight off the disease. Finally, everything is mixed up and is shipped out to its final destination. Vaccines contain different ingredients based on the vaccine but normally the ingredients include, weakened parts of viruses, Aluminum, antibiotics, formaldehyde, adjuvants, proteins, sugars, and preservatives. Vaccines help immunize the body because when the weakened disease is put into the body, the body makes antibodies to fight off the disease. If the real disease ever came into the body, the body would be able to

The major disease that I have chosen is meningitis. According to Hales, “meningitis is an extremely serious, potentially fatal illness that attacks the membranes around the brain and spinal cord; caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitis” (2016, p.305). Bacterial meningitis symptoms develop within hours, and viral meningitis symptoms develop quickly or over several days. The most common symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting, disorientation, drowsiness, and reddish or brownish skin rash. Vaccination is recommended for all American adolescents, with initial immunization at age 11 or 12 and a booster at age 16. The CDC recommends routine vaccination with a new type of meningococcal vaccine, which

Throughout history in the United States, various epidemics have had their adverse effects amongst the population. Yet, those who fall particularly vulnerable to such epidemics are those whom are often young and have yet to build proper immunity to foreign invaders. One of the most feared diseases for children and young adults today is Bacterial Meningitis. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Meningitis can be formed through the inflammation of the meninges in an individual’s brain (2014). Although there are numerous causes for Meningitis, Bacterial Meningitis is the most severe and often deadly strain in which greatly effects children and young adults (CDC, 2014). Furthermore, the prevalence of meningitis continues to

Meningitis is a rare infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord called as meninges. It is of 3 types-

Many people have heard about meningitis but they are not exactly sure what it is. According to the Center for Disease Control, Meningitis is a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is most common in children although, it can attack people of all ages. In 1805, “ Vieusseux first discovered Meningococcal meningitis during an outbreak in Switzerland, though it wasn’t until 1887 that the causative agent was identified by Anton Weichselbaum” (Manchanda 2006). The name given to it was Neisseria intracellularis due to the nature of the intracellular oval micrococci of the organism. The disease was fatal in 70 percent of the cases before the 1920s. There are over 10 different serotypes that cause infection. Common causes of meningitis vary by strain and age groups.

As of yesterday it was brought to my attention that one of my fellow employees at the Baton Rouge General Physicians - Plaquemine clinic, had contracted meningitis. While the aformentioned employee and I shared no close physical contact, I saw it best to file an incident report, in case of any measures need to be taken to make sure that I or any other employees do not contract meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is the inflammation of the meninge layers of the central nervous system (the pia matter, arachnoid matter, and the dura matter). This disease in most cases is caused by these five microbes:

Meningococcal disease is a large concern in the medical field because it is unbiased towards the patients it infects. There has been limited success in trying to eliminate this disease. Antibiotics play a role in helping to treat patients with bacterial meningitis, and steroids have been tested to help reduce risk factors. Prevention has also become a key issue because meningitis can only be spread through direct contact with infected body fluid. The best prevention is to maintain clean hygiene. Vaccines are another way of preventing disease. However, there are multiple serogroups of meningitis that makes creating a universal vaccine extremely difficult. So far, there have only been two