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,
There are over 4000 people affected by bacterial meningitis and around 500 deaths from this in the US every year ("Meningitis."). 6000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis are reported in the US each year and meningococcal meningitis infects close to 2600 people in the US each year ("Meningitis."). 10-15% of these meningococcal cases are fatal, while an additional 10-15% lives with permanent
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.
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.).
“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
Africa has the highest incidence of meningococcal disease, tuberculosis, and malaria because of overcrowding in many villages. There is an area in sub-Saharan Africa called the Meningitis Belt that stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia with over 20,000 reported cases and 2,000 deaths every year (Healthgrades editorial staff, 2015). During the dry season in Africa, from December through June, meningitis epidemics occur with the three major areas infected being Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Chad. The most recent outbreak of the meningococcal disease reported in the United States occurred as meningitis in the dorms at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Princeton University in New Jersey in December of 2013 (Doheny, 2013). When the outbreak occurred at these two universities it was caused from serotype B of the disease and resulted in one death. Since the current meningococcal vaccine does not cover the serotype B bacteria the FDA allowed the use of a special vaccine from New Zealand to treat the outbreaks (Burrell, 2015). One in five US teens have not had their first recommended dose of meningococcal vaccine and for those who have had the first dose of the vaccine,
“Meningitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 9 Aug. 2017. Web. 9 Sept. 2017.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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.