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 …show more content…
This promotion tactic sought to, “reduce bacterial meningitis to more than 4.7 cases per 100,000 people” by 2000. Ultimately, promotion was to be done through the completion and distribution of vaccines, public education, and vaccine programs (Healthy People, 2000). Although this promotion was successful in 2000 and public health goals were met, increases in the new strain, Serogroup B, has created a new public health concern that was not addressed in Healthy People 2020. Reciprocal effects can be seen in the increase of Bacterial Meningitis amongst the youth because Public Health Departments have little funding to research and promote the new vaccine that would decrease its prevalence. Therefore to incorporate a new approach for the vaccine, there should be a fully integrated approach such as the Strategic Health Communication Campaign Model. This model is considered to be a “synthesis” model in which encompasses a collective approach to public health needs. There are five stages: 1) Planning 2) Use of Theory 3) Communications Analysis 4) Implementation 5) Evaluation and Reorientation. Collectively, these stages aid the public in health knowledge, beliefs, values, and behaviors that can be tailored towards vaccinating children and young adults against Bacterial Meningitis (Bensley & Brookins-Fisher,
As the assignment’s need, I do the research on WebMD and National Institutes Health for the audience analysis on meningitis topic. To figure how they present their information to audiences, I write you this memo for an evaluation and comparison of two websites about their audiences and persuasive strategies they use.
Vaccination is a primary prevention of disease and has been strongly integrated into modern medicine. For generations, epidemics of measles, whooping cough or polio have been largely nonexistent from populations across the globe. However, there are still many parents who choose not to vaccinate their children and adults who are unaware of or unable to access vaccines that prevent infectious diseases. There are college students still being exposed to meningitis and even some people in the healthcare industry not staying current and questioning the efficacy of them. The purpose of this paper is to present some facts about vaccinations/immunizations, barriers to obtaining them and suggestions from research on how to overcome those barriers from a community health perspective.
Meningitis instantly can strike and the impact of that strike can forever last a lifetime. Meningitis is the inflammation and infection of the meninges that surround your brain and spinal cord. This infection, which can be bacterial, viral or fungal can be very serious and can cause prolonged effects. One such effect is hearing loss, profound hearing loss. Meningitis is a dangerous infection because the brain is so delicate.
Anyone can get meningitis at any point in their life. However, children between 1 month and two years old, adults with alcohol problem or chronic ear and nose infections, individuals with sickle cell disease, kidney failure or college students (16-23 years old), and people in military are more likely to get bacterial
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.
5. Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain. It is a serious communicable infection transmitted via respiratory secretion; bacteria moves into the blood circulation (Thomas 1027). There are two types of bacteria which cause most of the meningitis cases, those two are Neisseria Meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Each bacterium has its own shape such as the Neisseria meningitidis has a diplococci shape. This shape is described as two spherically shaped bacteria pushed together ("Bacteria Morphology" 1). The shape pf Streptococcus pneumoniae is also diplococci, but it has been called "Lancet shaped" which mean longer cocci with an outer curvature ("Bacteria Morphology" 1). Bacterial meningitis is transmitted through direct contact with infected
Bacterial meningitis is really serious infection and it must be treated immediately. This infection affects the membranes that cover the brain. Many bacteria could cause meningitis. The most common are Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcuspneumoniae. Luckily, there are special vaccines for preventing this bacteria in the human organism and they are recommended for both, children and adults when there is potential risk of this illness. Some studies have shown that certain group of people has bigger chances to be infected by this bacteria. Those usually are: children under the age of 6, teenagers between 15 and 18 years old and adults over 55 years old. The first symptoms are usually high fever, cold hands and feet, weakness, headache, neck
“College Student Dies of Fulminant Bacterial Meningitis Strain from Princeton Outbreak 24 Hours After Onset of Symptoms.” In a heartbeat, Dr. Annaliesa Anderson felt a sinking vexation, like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an endless circle of ripples. Using this fuel, she conquered Meningitis B with the vaccine Trumenba. As Chief Scientific Officer for Bacterial Vaccines at Pfizer Inc., living in New Jersey, Dr. Annaliesa Anderson has traveled the globe, piloting the bacterial vaccine programs, collaborating with different companies to accelerate development processes, and has also mobilized government committees to dispense the vaccines to save lives. Her groundbreaking work has inspired me, and she relayed the knowledge of
“Meningitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Aug. 2017. Web. 9 Sept. 2017.
Based on the symptoms presented by the roommate, it is likely that she is suffering from bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges surrounding the spinal cord, specifically the arachnoid mater and the Pia mater, due to a bacterial infection. This illness typically first displays as a mild headache, fever, nausea, and drowsiness. As it grows more severe, symptoms may progress to photophobia, or intolerance to light, and neck stiffness, often referred to as the Kernig sign (Drake, Vogl, & Mitchell, 2012b). The pain Kernig sign is caused by the sensitivity that inflammation in the meninges creates. During flexion of the spine, the meninges stretch, causing pain and discomfort for the patient (Montgomery, n.d.).
In order to be infested with Neisseria meningitidis, close prolonged contact from one person to the other must be present from anywhere between a two and ten day incubation period. (World Health Organisation, 2015.) Most of the consistently occurring symptoms of the disease include sensitivity to light, heavy breathing, cold chills and shivers, confusion, blood rashes, headaches, vomiting, high fevers and a stiff neck. (SEE APPENDIX 2.0) Initial diagnosis of Meningococcal meningitis is made by a clinical examination, and can be confirmed by growing the bacteria in specimens of spinal fluid or blood by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although in most cases the disease is recognised during early stages, adequate treatment leads to the death of 5-10% of patients typically after twenty -four to forty-eight hours of experiencing symptoms. (World Health Organisation, 2015.) In serious cases, this bacterial meningitis can result in learning disabilities, hearing loss or severe damage to the blood stream, brain and spinal cord. Severe brain damage and blood poisoning can lead to a traumatic death, whilst serious spinal cord injuries leave victims paralysed. This affects approximately 10-20% of all survivors. (Disease Control,
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.
Great discussion here. As Greg correctly pointed out, there is no right or wrong answer. But I have to say that I would be more tempted to read an article that leads with an impacting story or information, such as that healthy teenagers can succumb to meningococcal meningitis in a matter of days, or that meningitis is a potentially deadly disease that affects x number of people each year, than an article that leads with information about what a company has been doing to raise awareness about the disease. I believe that the risk that the disease imposes would resonate more with readers, especially mothers, leading them to want to learn more what to do to prevent it.
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
With the rate that HIV/AIDS is spreading it is a must that everyone be educated about this killer. There are programs that are made to inform others about this disease. Around 2.5 million people became infected with HIV in 2011. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hardest hit by the epidemic; in 2011 over two-thirds of AIDS deaths were in this region (CDC, 2008). There are also clinics that will check you out to make sure that you are clear and free from this disease. Also there are people that speak