MENINGITIS

Muhammad Aman08-18 MPH 1st term

PHSA

Organism: Neisseria meningitides Haemophilus influenza serotype b ( Hib) Pneumococcus - Streptococcus pneumoniae

Clinical features: Fever, headache, vomiting, neck stiffnesons,

and progressive loss of consciousness. A petechial rash, which does not blanch.

Infants show floppiness and high-pitched crying.

Children may present with convulsions.

Diagnosis: is by lumber puncture but should not delay

treatment. Transmission:

is by airborne spread of droplets and from direct contact with secretions from nose or throat.

Incubation period: 2 - 10 days. Period of Communicability:

Once effective treatment started, the patient ceases to be infective within 24 hours.

Any carrier will continue to produce organisms for 2 weeks to 10 months.

Control and prevention:Reduce overcrowding.Close schools and reduce

congregation of people, such as markets and religious gatherings.

Improvement of housing and family planning

Chemoprophylaxis to close contacts but not in large epidemics.

Control and prevention: continued

Rifampicin 10 mg/ kg twice daily for 2 days.

Vaccinate those at high risk 2 - 20 years and household contacts of cases.

An incidence of 15 cases per 100,000 in a well-defined population for 2 consecutive weeks heralds the beginning of an epidemic and the need to start mass vaccination including children under 2 years of age.