What is meningococcal disease?
Meningococcal disease is a serious illness. There are two forms of the disease: meningitis and septicemia.
The disease is most common in children (between three months and four years) and adolescents (between fifteen and nineteen years).
Someone with meningococcal disease should immediately to the hospital. At the hospital the doctor gives antibiotics.
A small portion of people who have recovered from meningococcal disease, likes about health problems. For example, strabismus and brain injury. After meningitis hold fewer health problems than about after blood poisoning.
What meningococcal disease causes?
The cause of meningococcal disease is a bacterium: the meningococcus. He comes to some people in the throat or nose before. Not everyone is sick of this bacterium. People become infected with meningococcal through saliva through coughing and kissing.
What are the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease?
The meningococcal disease begins suddenly and very quickly seriously. Within hours someone is very sick. The disease starts with a high fever. This is followed by muscle aches, chills, nausea and vomiting.
When meningitis meningococcal disease, people have a headache and a stiff neck. The neck is often difficult to bend over. Cerebrospinal meningitis is, therefore, another name for meningococcal disease.
When blood poisoning arising dark red spots on the skin that grow rapidly. You must notify your doctor immediately. Furthermore, people with blood poisoning often very drowsy and confused.
In babies meningococcal disease is often difficult to recognize because the symptoms also occur in other diseases. What are the symptoms?
- They drink bad.
- Their skin looks dull.
- They are irritable and cry a lot.
- They may have fever, but also a low body temperature.
- They have pain when their legs are lifted or if their diaper is changed.
- Their body sometimes moves with small shocks.
What is the treatment for meningococcal disease
Someone with meningococcal disease should be given directly antibiotics in the hospital.
Without rapid treatment, someone can die from the disease. Prompt treatment also ensures that someone keeps the disease as much as possible. The risk of strabismus example is smaller at a rapid treatment.
Most people with meningococcal disease are recorded on a (children's) intensive care unit.
To prevent further infection with the meningococcus, get family members and friends of someone with meningococcal disease include antibiotics.
Meningococcal disease vaccine
Vaccination against meningococcal type C is possible. Babies get to the clinic a jab against meningococcal type C
Serious side effects of the vaccination are rare. However, the child can have the day of vaccination and the day after increase of fever and listless. The site of injection can be red and painful.