What is it about ?
The meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain. It is usually caused by a bacteria or virus. Located just below the skull, the meninges protect the brain.
Meningitis caused by bacteria is very serious and can be life threatening if not treated promptly with antibiotics. Three main germs can cause bacterial meningitis: meningococcus, pneumococcus (especially known in pneumonia) and Haemophilus influenzae (type b) (Hib). These germs are present in the nose and throat (where they are harmless). They can be transmitted through coughing, sneezing, and close contact. They can also cause severe generalized infection (sepsis).
Viral meningitis is less serious than bacterial meningitis: it does not require treatment and resolves spontaneously.
What is their frequency?
Vaccinations against various forms of bacterial meningitis are included in the vaccination schedule in Belgium. The number of cases of meningitis has therefore fallen sharply.
Meningococcal meningitis affects about 1 in 100,000 people per year, especially children under 5 and young people aged 15-19. While the number of cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria was still 40-60 per 100,000 per year in 1990, it has now fallen to less than 1 in 100,000 per year. Pneumococcal meningitis is also less and less frequent with, each year, 1-2 cases per 100,000 children under 15 years of age.
Viral meningitis is much more common.
How to recognize it?
A child with bacterial meningitis is seriously ill. The illness often starts off as a ‘big flu’, possibly with the following symptoms:
- high fever
- muscle pain
- headaches,
- feeling unwell
- drowsiness and confusion
- nausea and vomiting.
Irritation of the meninges leads to neck stiffness. This stiffness prevents the chin from being brought to the chest. This sign is not always present, especially in babies. The latter, however, may suffer from hypersensitivity causing such pain when you lift his little legs to change his diaper that he systematically starts to cry. Likewise, he often drinks poorly, cries abnormally, has decreased muscle tone or muscle weakness, and has unusually pale or gray skin.
In the case of a severe generalized infection (sepsis), purplish-red spots (petechiae) appear on the skin and do not disappear with pressure. You can do the test by exerting pressure with a glass: press the glass against the skin, look through the glass, and see if the spots disappear or persist.
A decrease in the level of consciousness also occurs. In this case, there is no longer an adequate reaction to the questions or the stimuli.
Viral meningitis basically has the same symptoms, but they develop more slowly and are less severe. The child is much less sick. The disease has often been present for some time by the time the doctor is consulted.
How is the diagnosis made?
The doctor will suspect the diagnosis of meningitis based on the symptoms. If he has any suspicion, he will refer you urgently to the hospital for a blood test and lumbar puncture. This procedure involves taking a little cerebrospinal fluid for further examinations, which will identify the causative agent of meningitis and choose the most effective treatment.
What can you do ?
If you have a flu-like infection (flu-like infection) with a high fever, severe headache, vomiting and stiff neck, see your doctor as soon as possible. If your child is seriously ill, has a stiff neck, and has decreased level of consciousness, take him to the hospital immediately.
Children can receive vaccines against meningococcus group C, against Hib bacteria and against pneumococcus. These vaccines lower the risk of meningitis. They are part of the basic vaccination schedule and are free.
What can your doctor do?
Viral meningitis heals on its own. The main aim of treatment is therefore to relieve the symptoms, in particular by means of an anti-vomiting medicine and a pain reliever. If the general condition of the child allows it, the treatment can be administered at home.
When the symptoms are very severe, treatment with an antibiotic (antibiotic therapy) is started in the hospital while awaiting the results of tests carried out on the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. If the meningitis is of viral origin, the antibiotics will be stopped.
Treatment of bacterial meningitis is done in the hospital with high doses of antibiotics by infusion. Sometimes cortisone is also added to it.
Meningococcal meningitis can be contagious and the germs are transmitted through close contact for several hours (sneezing, coughing fits, kissing, etc.). An antibiotic is therefore recommended for certain relatives (family, children, etc.) in order to prevent an infection in them, this is called preventive antibiotic therapy.
Want to know more?
- Haemophilus influenzae type b infections – Vaccination-Info.be
- Meningococcal meningitis and septicemia – Vaccination-Info.be
- Meningitis, pneumonia and pneumococcal septicemia – Vaccination-Info.be
- For the vaccine, I hesitate … Is it serious doctor? – Health question
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