Question 1

what precautions should i take for my child regarding a meningitis outbreak at school? do i need to keep my child home in order to reduce her exposure?

Accepted Answer

Meningitis : Meningitis is an infection that can swelling of the fluid surrounding the brain stem or brain or a serious infection than can have lont term results (such as hearing loss, vision issues). Signs and symptoms of meningtis can be flu like with a severe headache and neck pain.

Meningitis can be spread by air droplets (sneezing, coughing, kissing etc) or by direct contact with a person with meningitis.

If there is an outbreak at the school your child goes to, then it is prudent for you to keep him/her at home - in fact the school should initiate closure.

Also, there are types of meningitis that can be prevented with vaccine. Ask your doctor about vaccinating your child for meningitis.

Question 2

hi! staying in s. america w/ children (7 & 9) and interested in vaccinating them for meningitis. but i see that menacwy is only recommended for ages 13+. why is that? do younger kids not get it? thnx

Accepted Answer

Some basics: Recommendations exist to maximize the effectiveness of a vaccine by using it on populations more likely to get the disease. It is less common in the ages you mention than the older group. It is a vaccine that also provides transient ( several years ) protection before it would need a booster. You are free to get the vaccine if you desire but it would not change the need to get it when older.

Question 3

do you give a 7 year old a meningitis shot in the u.s. ?

Accepted Answer

See below: Current recommendation is for the first Menactra vaccine at 11 years of age and a booster at 16 years of age.

Question 4

how can i catch meningitis ?

Accepted Answer

Meningitis: It is actually not easy to be infected with a meningitis organisms, one would need direct contact with an individual carrying a bacteria and even then it is not common.

Question 5

can i still have meningitis?

Accepted Answer

Hard to say: When you ask a basic question with no supportive information, it is difficult to formulate an answer. If certain symptoms are present that worry you, please start over, describe them and ask a specific question.The public site is not a chat room and questions are not linked.

Question 6

what is meningitis caused by?

Accepted Answer

Many things: Meningitis can be caused by multiple types of infections, such as viruses, bacteria, etc.  if you think you have meningitis, you should get checked as soon as possible.

Question 7

how do you diagnose meningitis?

Accepted Answer

Spinal tap: Lumbar punctures or spinal taps obtain cerebrospinal  fluid for analysis including cultures which usually identifies the causative organism.

Question 8

is meningitis a dangerous disease?

Accepted Answer

Depends on agent: Meningitis is defined as an inflamation(generally caused by infection) of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.The agent may be bacterial (like strep/staph/meningococcus); viral, fungal or parocitic.Some viral cases are mild & resolve without special rx. Most bacterial are deadly if untreated  & may damage even with rx. Fungal & paracitic causes are also deadly & often harder to rx.

Question 9

can p. multocida cause meningitis?

Accepted Answer

Meningitis: Yes pasturella multocido can cause meningitis.

Question 10

what medications treat meningitis?

Accepted Answer

Meningitis treatment: For viral meningitis not much treatment - IV fluids, antinausea medications, pain medications

bacterial meningitis - antibiotics

fungal meningitis - antifungal treatments.

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Doctor answers about:

Isolation precautions for meningitis

A member asked:

What precautions should i take for my child regarding a meningitis outbreak at school? do i need to keep my child home in order to reduce her exposure?

A member asked:

Hi! staying in s. america w/ children (7 & 9) and interested in vaccinating them for meningitis. but i see that menacwy is only recommended for ages 13+. why is that? do younger kids not get it? thnx

A member asked:

Do you give a 7 year old a meningitis shot in the u.s. ?

A member asked:

How can i catch meningitis ?

A member asked:

Can i still have meningitis?

A member asked:

What is meningitis caused by?

A member asked:

How do you diagnose meningitis?

A member asked:

Is meningitis a dangerous disease?

A member asked:

Can p. multocida cause meningitis?

A member asked:

What medications treat meningitis?

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