Meningitis - Part 1

In Memory of Daisy

The name Daisy is fictitious, however it is based on a true event.
It happened two years ago in the halls of residence of a university in the United Kingdom, when lectures had ended and students were packing up their things to go home for the holidays.
That morning Daisy, a first year student of 18 years old, woke up feeling unwell. Her throat and head were hurting slightly and she also felt that she might be experiencing a fever, she spoke with her roommates about it but they thought that her symptoms probably amounted to the flu, so they recommended that she take an ibuprofen.

Daisy kept packing up her bags, she would be going home the next day and would probably feel better then, however her headache kept getting worse, to the point where it was unbearable for her to move her neck and she felt a stiffness in her back that would not allow her to walk much. Her fever kept getting higher, however as her temperature was taken by hand, we cannot be completely objective. As it was getting dark, Daisy decided to go bed and her roommates agreed to check on her in the morning to see how she was feeling.

At 10 o’clock the next morning, her roommates knocked on her door but there was no answer, so they opened it and went up to her bed. Daisy was there curled up in her bed sheets. 

She had died that night.
A couple of days after her death the results from the autopsy were revealed: Meningitis Meningococcal.

What is Meningitis?
Meningitis is an infection of the membranes that around the brain and spinal cord.

The causes are commonly due to a virus or bacteria, which are more dangerous, followed by fungus and parasites, which are least common.

Incidence in the population 
In Europe, there are a couple of thousands of cases that are diagnosed every year, normally in the autumn, winter and spring. The number is higher in Africa due to the lack of vaccination and the higher rate of transmission.

The range of ages where there is a higher probability that Meningitis can emerge is in small children, with a first peak followed by a second peak taking place during adolescence and in young adults, needless to say that it can be present at any age with less frequency.

The infection can be passed on from person to person via drops of saliva, kisses, sneezes, shared bedrooms, glasses or kitchen utensils.

The potentially life threatening Bacterial Meningitis, has an incubation period of a week and its diagnosis has to be quick as its evolution is lethal in less than 24 hours.

Symptoms 
The most common symptoms vary in accordance to age:

Dr J. Hurtado Martínez
Medical Director of HealthSalus

Part 2: Coming Soon...