Menengitis in Children

Without concieously trying to start a debate, does anyone here find this disease more prevalant here in the U.K than in the U.S (or at least hear about it more)?...........scary sh*t.......how do ya catch it, is it viral or what?

it does seem more prevalent here.  i sometimes wonder if the UK doesn't have as high an uptake of some vaccines - meningitis is a complication of some childhood diseases.  the UK does not vaccinate againt pnuemoccocal disease as well.

many people - i'd venture to say more people - live in much tighter quarters here than in the states than in the UK , thereby increasing a person's chances of contracting communicable disease.

just hazarding a guess, but i agree w/you here.

It has been on the news so much the past few days...I was planning on researching more about this online because it never ocurred to me to be too worried about this and I know virtually nothing about it. Watching the news (and I saw a bit of Jeremy Kyle while ironing the other day and he had on some children who had amputations because of it) has made me nervous.

the news seems to focus on deaths resulting from it.  i have a mate who is completely blind and deaf in one ear from meningitis he developed as a complication of measles when he was 7 years old.  it can cause some very serious disabilities.

I had meningitis at 21. I thought I was dieing.....Mine was viral. I had strep throat and scarlatina.....and chicken pox.

the other kind is bacterial which is caused by one germ.

It is horrendous...they put me in quarantine for days. Did a spinal tap on me. and pumped me full of antibiotics...the pain in my head was so bad I can't even describe it. The back of my brain swelled and cut off my optical nerves and caused me to lose my sight.

I sometimes wonder what has been the after effects to my brain and mind.

the other kind is bacterial which is caused by one germ.

bacterial meningititis is caused by several strains of bacteria, unfortunately.  Sadly, it's more deadly and dangerous than viral meningitis.
 :\\\'(

ahh well then they told me wrong....


which ever one anyone has neither one of them is great. I really thought I was a goner.

Then several days after I got out of the hospital I broke out in chicken pox head to toe...I had them EVERYWHERE,....

In my mouth down my throat...my scalp..my bum...it was horrible...

This is one reason our American GP recommends we vaccinate DD against Chicken pox. He said if you see the effects of Meningitis as a complication, you will be a believer in the vaccine. We are going to get it next time we go home to visit the grandparents.

some children who had amputations because of it) has made me nervous.

i just spoke with a mother today who has an adolescent daughter who at 16mos caught meningitis and had to have her hands amputated.

many of the deaf kids and adults I've worked with became deaf through meningitis.

even if you've caught it once or have been vaccinated you can still get different strains.

then of course there is the debate about children being over vaccinated and it is causing disabilities like seizure disorders and autism... i work with loads of families who believe the onset of their child's disability was after vaccinations.

you just never know what chances you take!

many of the deaf kids and adults I've worked with became deaf through meningitis.

A friend of mine is totally blind and deaf in one ear as a result of meningitis as a complication of measles.

then of course there is the debate about children being over vaccinated and it is causing disabilities like seizure disorders and autism... i work with loads of families who believe the onset of their child's disability was after vaccinations.

it'll be interesting to see what effect - if any - the mercury free jabs have on autism rates. 

when did the mercury free jabs start?

2005, altho you could request one before that, but if you didn't know about it and didn't ask, your child got one w/thiomersal.  it was cheaper, of course.

with what we know about mercury... why did/is is taking so long to switch... cost effectiveness? c'mon, why don't ever people think of the long term care costs of helping people with disabilities? it is so frustrating working in this system. preventative care is better than dealing with the consequences later.

with what we know about mercury... why did/is is taking so long to switch... cost effectiveness?

bingo!  same reason they don't vaccinate against pneumoccocal meningitis here.

Just a wee note to say that children will be vaccinated against pneumococcal meningitis from next year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4692908.stm

Kel.