A Potentially Deadly Meningitis
When parents hear neck pain and fever in the same sentence, the immediate concern is possible meningitis. There is the call to the doctor’s office or the rush to the emergency room especially after an outbreak of meningitis. The panic can be overwhelming for the general and medical community. Here is what you should know.
What is Me
ningitis? is swelling of the coverings of the brain or spine. The swelling can be so much that it causes a very bad headache or pain along the spinal cord. This pain along the spinal cord is what causes the pain when your teen bends their neck forward.
What is the cause?
The cause can be either viral or bacterial. The big difference is the outcome. Bacterial meningitis although less common is more serious and can be fatal. Viral meningitis usually improves with supportive care even though the teen can still be very uncomfortable.
One type of bacterial meningitis that is particularly potentially dangerous is Neisseria Meningitidis. This is the type that can occur in clusters especially in tight living situations like dorms and military campuses. People seem to get sick very quickly and by the time they seek care they are sicker than their family realized. Of the two types, 0.9-1.5 people are going to get this type of meningitis in a year in the United States.
How does your teen get it?
The N. Meningitidis likes to live in the nose and the throat. It is spread through droplets and sits growing for about 3-4 days in which time it is spread to other people. Some people are what we call carriers and they always have the organism living in their nose or throat.
What are some of the signs? 
The signs of meningitis are a quick onset of fever, bad headache, nausea, light sensitivity, vomiting and neck stiffness. Sometimes there is a rash that can be on the hands or feet, or tiny dots of blood red rash all over the body, but this might not come until later in the illness when the person is very sick. There can sometimes be lethargy which is a really rag doll way of acting not just tired.
How is it treated?
N. Meningitis is treated with antibiotics given strait into the blood. Even after the antibiotics are started infected patients may still die, but in more cases than not the antibiotics help. For those who live with the infected person they can sometimes be treated with antibiotics given as a shot or two days of tablets taken by mouth to prevent them from getting them disease.
How is it prevented?
It is very hard to prevent N. Meningitidis. The best things are more common sense like not drinking after someone who is ill and washing your hands especially after blowing the nose or coughing. There is a vaccine with four types of N Meningitidis in it, but this does not include the most common type B of N. Meningitidis in the US. Looking for the signs and getting medical help as soon as possible are other ways you can prevent a deadly outcome of this type of meningitis and it is not always guaranteed.
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As a mom who lost a son to meningococcal meningitis, I urge all parents to make sure that their children are vaccinated. I did not know that this disease was potentially vaccine-preventable, and I lost my son because of that. The CDC recommends routine vaccination for all 11-18 year olds at the earliest opportunity, and for all freshmen living in dorms. This disease is a killer and is very difficult to diagnose, since the early symptoms mimic the flu. I did not want my son’s death to be in vain, and it is now my mission to try to raise awareness of this disease and spare other families what I have gone through. Please visit the National Meningitis Association Web site at http://www.nmaus.org for more information.