Okay, rare serious, sensible post
coming up. I tend to keep my blog for
mad personal meanderings but sometimes something comes along that needs
flagging up without making any kind of joke.
Meningitis. I really urge you to
read this (I’ll keep it short) and then to find out more. And not only if you
have young children – this disease can kill at any age.
Some time ago I asked you
to fill in a short survey on the blog and huge thanks to those that did. I’m not a huge fan of stats as they can so
easily be swayed whichever way you want to take them. But a couple of the results stood out for me
as meaningful.
72 percent of people who
responded didn’t know which subtype of meningococcal disease their child had
been vaccinated against (it’s C only).
73 percent did not know
which type of meningitis causes the most death and disease in the UK (it’s
B).
Hey, guess what? I didn’t know either. And I’m supposedly a health journalist.
 |
| Dr Rob Hicks |
A few days back I went up
to Birmingham to take part in a blogger forum on meningitis. It was fascinating
and terrifying in equal portions.
Meningitis is complicated and I freely admit I didn’t know all of these
facts:
· - Meningitis
is caused by either a virus, a fungus or a bacteria. Not all types are as
dangerous as one another. - The bacterial form is the most dangerous – and can be deadly.
There are many types of bacterial meningitis.
· - Meningitis
can develop VERY quickly. A person can
go from apparently healthy to critically ill in just FOUR hours.
·
Approximately
ten percent of people who contract bacterial meningitis will die – even if they
are correctly diagnosed and receive early and appropriate treatment. Those that
don’t may lose limbs, suffer brain damage, blindness, deafness or be left with
learning difficulties or epilepsy. This is one SERIOUSLY scary disease.
· Those
most at risk are babies and young children (over 50 percent of cases occur in
children under five years old) followed by adolescents (those of you whose
children have just gone off to college? Make sure they know about this). Military personnel and travellers to areas
where the disease is endemic are also at risk.
But anyone, yes anyone, can contract meningitis. It is contracted by
direct close contact with an infected person or via air droplets (you don’t
catch it from shaking hands, for example).
So. How do you tell if
you or someone else has meningitis? The
main lesson that came out of the forum was:
Don’t wait for the
rash.
We all know (don’t we?)
that the key symptom of meningitis is a purple rash? Well, while it is a symptom, it’s actually
a late one, showing that septicaemia (blood poisoning) is rampaging through the
body. The early symptoms of meningitis
are often very unspecific and flu-like (high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting,
photosensitivity – bright lights hurt the eyes).
The main point that Dr
Rob Hicks put across was simple:
Trust your instincts as a
parent.
Don’t be scared of ‘wasting
the doctor’s time’. ‘There are no such things as neurotic parents; just caring
ones,’ he said. He’s damn right.
In babies, look out for
pale blotchy skin. Cold hands and feet (while the rest of the body feels
feverish) is an unusual, but telling, symptom. Rapid breathing or grunting; an
unusual cry or moaning. Refusing food or
vomiting. Generally fretful and/or floppy, listless and unresponsive.
The stiff neck can be a
useful symptom in anyone over two. ‘The
person simply won’t be able to put their chin on their chest; it will be simply
too painful,’ said Dr Hicks. Also look for severe headaches and muscle pain;
for a dislike of bright lights, confusion and irritability, stomach cramps and
diarrhoea.
Regarding the well-known
glass test – many of us didn’t really know how to use it. Do you? Basically you need a clear glass. Press it on the rash and look through the
glass. The spots will not disappear or
dissipate in any way.
My purpose with this blog
post is not to frighten you. And I wouldn’t want you to dwell on this. I just think we need to know how to recognise
this disease and to know what to do should it happen to someone you know. Forewarned is forearmed, right? As the Meningitis Trust says: ‘Knowing the
signs and symptoms can save lives.’
If you want to know more,
I would urge you to look at the websites of the three charities which attended
the forum.
The Meningitis Trust – Provide
free services and community based support for people affected by meningitis in
the UK. Support group has a 24-hour helpline 0800 028 18 28 They have produced a free downloadable app
for Smart phones http://www.meningitisapp.co.uk
Meningitis ResearchFoundation - Campaigns for earlier recognition, better treatment, aftercare and
support. Lobbying for the introduction
of vaccination against all strains of meningitis (a MenB vaccine may soon be
available) and for greater awareness of the costs of the disease (see their
petition on the website for full details).
Meningitis UK - devoted to finding a vaccine to protect against all types of meningitis.
Please note: I was paid
an honorarium for attending this forum (however with no obligation to write
about it). I have donated it to the three charities above.
