Meningococcal meningitis is a disease in which membranes around the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. It is a potentially fatal disease that can have a life-changing, permanent impact on survivors, even when adequate treatment is provided. Each year meningococcal meningitis affects about 2.5 million people resulting in around 230 000 deaths.
World Meningitis Day falls on 24 April each year and this year’s theme was TakeAction #DefeatMeningitis. A recent Sunday Times Connect in partnership with Sanofi Pasteur online event put the spotlight on how to protect your loved ones from meningococcal meningitis.
Meningococcal meningitis can easily be misdiagnosed as early symptoms are often mistaken for flu or other illnesses such as malaria or even Covid-19. Not many people are aware of the disease which is why greater awareness and education around it are so important so that they are able to take preventative measures.
Meningitis is a medical emergency that can result in death within 24 hours which is why it’s so important that everybody is able to recognise the symptoms in order to act quickly. Typical symptoms include fever; headaches; vomiting; muscle, leg or joint pain; pale skin; irritability or sleepiness; sensitivity to light; neck stiffness; cold hands and feet; or a blank staring look. In addition, babies with meningitis can have neck retraction, no interest in their food, and bulging fontanelle’s.
An alarming one in five people who survive meningococcal meningitis experience lifelong and serious sequalae.
Meningococcal meningitis is a particularly serious infection that occurs when the meningococcal bacteria ‘invades’ the body from the throat or nose. Although the disease is uncommon – in SA less than two people per 100 000 get the disease, resulting in between 80 to 100 infections each year – the disease has devastating consequences. As Lee Baker, the owner of Amayeza Information Centre explained, SA may be under-estimating the burden of meningococcal meningitis given that the country does not have the resources to capture all incidences of the disease.
Amayeza Information Centre is an independent medicine information centre. Baker is the president of the South African Society of Travel Medicine and a member the South African Malarial Elimination Committee.
The biggest challenge with meningitis is that it is so often misdiagnosed and patients suffering from the disease are sent home with treatment for an upper respiratory tract infection. It’s only around 12 to 15 hours later that meningitis symptoms appear and then the only way to confirm a meningitis diagnosis is to do a lumbar puncture and run a laboratory test, explained Dr Nasiha Soofie, Head of Medical at Sanofi Pasteur Vaccines in South Africa.
Although the early diagnosis of meningitis is clearly an advantage, treatment is no guarantee of a full recovery. Fortunately, South Africa offers a vaccine which has been proven to be effective in preventing meningitis infections, revealed Soofie.
Babies under the age of two and HIV patients should receive two doses of the vaccine three months apart, while others should receive only one dose.
Patients need to request the vaccination through their healthcare practitioner who will advise the most appropriate dosage.
To watch the discussion, click here.