Once one of the most feared contagious illnesses among college students and the military, the incidence of bacterial meningitis due to the Neisseria meningitidis strain has dropped significantly since the introduction of the Menactra meningitis vaccine (MCV4) in 2005. The American College Health Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics now strongly…
Category Archives Meningitis
As reported last month, several cases of meningitis have been reported in the Sub-Sahara so far this year. In this area where the high season for meningitis runs from December to June, there has been a big push to get those at risk for infection vaccinated. The vaccines being offered effectively protect 90% of those who receive it from the…
On April 1 the Ministry of Health of Chad reported that during the first three months of 2010, over 1500 cases of suspected meningococcal meningitis were diagnosed. Meningococcal meningitis is a serious bacterial infection that attacks the lining of the brain. Untreated, it is fatal in about 50% of cases. Even with treatment, mortality rates average about 10%. Of those…
High season is nearing the end in the annual battle against meningitis in many countries of equatorial Africa. According to the Centers for Disease Control , there have been over 25,000 suspected cases so far this year in an area that stretches from Mali and Senegal in the west to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the east. Nigeria and Niger have…
