-
Don’t Give Up
In November 2008, Jamie was hanging with friends on campus in Austin, Texas but 14 hours later ended up in the emergency room after she developed flu-like symptoms. She was diagnosed with meningococcal disease, an uncommon but aggressive infection that, within 24 hours of onset of symptoms, can be fatal or cause life-long disability. In […]
Continue reading -
Policy Change
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is going through regulatory steps for a potential change. First, the meningococcal vaccine may soon join the list of immunizations required to attend school in Kansas, the vaccine that protects against four types of the meningococcal disease. A separate vaccine against another type of meningococcal meningitis seen in […]
Continue reading -
Bad Trip
Patryk Jarczak, 18, fell ill just a day after arriving in the Emirates on a week-long trip with his parents and eight-year-old brother from Poland. Patrick must have contracted the illness before leaving home because the incubation period for meningococcal meningitis is usually around four days. After spending a morning at the beach, he initially […]
Continue reading -
Facts Please
Bacterial meningitis also be called meningococcal meningitis is caused by Neisseria meningitidis. There are different groups of N. meningitidis, and group B or MenB is the most common. Meningitis B infection can be spread by prolonged, close contact with an infected person and sharing saliva such as kissing, coughing, sneezing or sharing food, lipstick or […]
Continue reading -
Irish Outbreak
Siobhan Holohan, the chief executive of ACT for Meningitis based in Galway, lost her four-year-old daughter, Aoibhe, to meningococcal meningitis in 2008. ACT was set up by Siobhan and Noel Carroll in 2011 because they felt there was an urgent need for greater awareness about the disease as well as provide support for those affected. […]
Continue reading -
Full Coverage
New Jersey law currently requires that college students be vaccinated against meningitis ACW & Y which has been available for decades. In December, NJ Assembly proposed a law that would require that college students in residence receive a vaccine for meningitis B. According to CDC- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adolescents and young adults […]
Continue reading -
Meningitis Season
Bacterial meningitis is a serious illness. It could kill an infected person in a matter of days if not treated promptly. There is a rise in the number of cases reported during the colder times of the year in the winter & spring months. Dr. Robert Quigley, senior vice president and regional medical director at […]
Continue reading -
Student Alert
Researchers led by Dr. Sarah Mbaeyi from the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said “the finding highlights the urgent need to ensure that all students get vaccinated against the disease before they head off to a university”. The findings were published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. They found that […]
Continue reading -
Official Warning
Recurring epidemics during the dry season between November through May, affect an extensive region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the “meningitis belt” which includes Nigeria. Health officials offer the following tips to prevent the spread of bacterial meningitis: Avoid overcrowding and ensure adequate ventilation in the home Go to the nearest health facility if you […]
Continue reading -
Antibiotic Resistance
The Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI) – a leading group of scientists, doctors and public health officials published a new report in Expert Review of Vaccines that meningococcal meningitis is becoming antibiotic resistant. “Research shows that meningococcal bacteria are able to acquire genes from other strains and that genes that give the bacteria reduced susceptibility or […]
Continue reading