Meningitis: How to spot the symptoms
Meningitis is a deadly disease that can kill in just four hours. Knowing the symptoms and acting fast can save lives.
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Meningitis vaccine could 'save thousands of lives'
A new Meningitis B vaccine, approved for UK use today, "will save thousands of lives, especially among children under five, who are most at risk from the disease", according to Meningitis UK.
The vaccine is the first to be licensed specifically for Meningitis B, one of the deadliest and most common strains of the disease:
- Meningitis B is the most common form of the disease in the UK, affecting 1,870 people each year, many of them children
- One in 10 people who contract the disease will die
- One in four will be left with life-changing after effects, such as brain damage or limb loss
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New Meningitis vaccine approved for UK use
A new vaccine against Meningitis B has been approved for use in the UK.
The vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical giant Bexsero, received its licence from the European Commission today.
Meningitis UK is urging the Government to make the vaccine part of the NHS childhood immunisation schedule, so that it "will save as many lives as possible".
Parents told to look out for signs of Meningitis
Meningitis UK is warning parents to look out for signs of the virus as children return to the classroom. The charity says there is often a back to school surge in cases.
Meningitis symptoms 'harder to detect in babies'
Doctors say the symptoms are harder to identify but include a fever while the hands and feet are cold, high pitched moaning or whimpering, blank staring, inactivity and also hard to wake up. Other symptoms include:
- Poor feeding
- Neck retraction with arching of the back
- Pale and blotchy complexion
Effects of Meningitis
The bacteria only rarely give rise to meningococcal disease, but when they do infection spreads rapidly and is fatal in about 10% of cases. If disease is diagnosed early and treated promptly most people make a full recovery.
About 1 in 8 people who recover experience some long term effects. These can include headaches, stiffness in the joints, epileptic fits, deafness and learning difficulties.
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Who gets Meningitis ?
In 2009/10 there were 896 cases of meningococcal disease confirmed in England and Wales. 785 of these cases were confirmed as Group B and only 17 as Group C. It's not known why some people became ill while others remained symptomless 'carriers' of the bacteria.
- Disease can occur at any age. However, most cases occur in children under four.
- The next highest incidence is recorded for teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age
- Most cases occur without any connection to other cases (sporadic cases), sometimes two or more cases are connected by those affected having close contact.
How is Meningitis spread ?
Meningococcal disease is not highly infectious. The bacteria are passed by close contact, so family members of a case and others who have close contacts with a case may be spreading the same germs.
Close contact in residential accommodation, such as student halls of residence, and schools can also give the opportunity for the spread of infection. As the bacteria cannot survive for long outside the human body, infection cannot be caught from water supplies, swimming pools, or buildings.
Symptoms of Meningitis
Its symptoms include a severe headache, painful joints and fitting. Other symptoms include:
- Sudden onset of a high fever
- Dislike of bright lights (photophobia)
- Painful joints and vomiting
Parents warned to be vigilant of Meningitis
Meningitis UK is warning parents of children returning to school to be vigilant as there is often a back to school surge in meningitis cases. Mums and dads are being urged to take every precaution and look out for the symptoms.
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