Meningococcal Meningitis
A specific form of meningitis in which the protective meninges (or membranes) around the spine and brain swell due a bacterial infection, meningococcal meningitis is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. The highest concentration of outbreaks occurs along the ‘Meningitis Belt’, a tract of land stretching from Ethiopia to Senegal.
The bacterium that causes meningitis is airborne and spreads most rapidly in communities where large numbers of people live in close proximity to one another. If infection is diagnosed early, a rigid treatment of antibiotics is effective in eradicating the bacteria. A number of effective vaccines have been available since the 1970s, providing the surest protection against infection.
Early symptoms of the disease include fever, headaches, stiff neck, vomiting and light sensitivity. An acute skin rash indicates a rare and particularly serious strain of meningitis. Complications arise as membranes around the brain swell and apply pressure. The bacterium is detected through a lumbar puncture.
How serious: if left untreated, meningitis is a potentially fatal disease and requires prompt medical attention.
How likely: most visitors to infection-prone areas have been vaccinated in advance and are protected against possible infection.
How to get it: meningococcal meningitis spreads from person to person through airborne droplets of respiratory fluid, transmitted by sneezing, coughing or kissing.
Where it is found: in the past 20 years, meningitis epidemics have stricken in Africa’s ‘Meningitis Belt’ and Mongolia, but isolated outbreaks have also been reported in the US, Canada, Spain and increasingly in New Zealand, where vaccination campaigns are gaining momentum.
Symptoms: of meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and in some cases a hemorrhagic rash. Medical treatment is imperative, as brain damage or even death can occur quickly.
How to avoid it: vaccination is the best defence against meningitis for those traveling into known areas of infection.
How to treat it: a reliable diagnosis is made through a lumbar puncture, after which patients can be treated with a range of common antibiotics.
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