Meningitis
18th January 2009 by Babies No CommentsMeningitis as the name suggests, is a disease related to the meninges. In meningitis, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord get inflated. The disease is either viral or bacterial, i.e., it may occur due to a viral attack or a bacterial attack. The viral meningitis is not much to worry about. It is a mild disease and does not even require medical attention. The bacterial meningitis is very dangerous; it may prove to be lethal. The disease can even cause brain disorder, cerebral palsy, etc. Generally babies within 5 years of age get affected by this disease. Meningitis can be caused by a number of different types of bacteria. The most common of them is meningococcus bacteria. Most of the people carry this bacterium, either in their noses or in their throats without any bad consequence. But, if this bacterium gets mixed with the blood stream, meningitis is contracted. The bacteria may be passed to blood stream of a person by means of sneezing or coughing. The common symptoms of meningitis are high temperature, stiffing of neck, respiratory problem, too much sleepiness making it difficult to wake the baby, abnormally stiff body accompanied with jerky movements, coldness of hands and feet, skin getting blotchy and turning pale or blue, purple or brown rash in the body, vomiting tendency, shivering, headache, and uncontrollable crying of the baby. Meningitis can be cured if it detected at an early stage, otherwise the disease may keep a permanent damage to the baby. One boon is that the disease is not that common.
