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MENINGOCOCCAL disease- information
for college bound students.
The American Academy of pediatrics believe it is important for
all college-bound students to know about a serious illness
called meningococcal disease. Certain college
students have a higher risk of getting this disease, and it can
be deadly.
WHAT is meningococcal disease?
Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria. Many people
carry meningococcal bacteria in their throats but never get the
disease. However, in a few people it can lead to 2 common
forms of the disease: meningococcal and meningitis.
Meningococcal disease can effect the blood (meningococcemia)
and/or brain and spinal cord (meningitis) and is life
threatening unless diagnosed and treated early.
Each year in the United States about 3,000 people get
meningococcal disease. While it can strike anybody, college
students living in dorms are at higher risk than other people of
the same age. It is easy for infections to spread in crowded
dorms where students live in close contact with each other.
The symptoms of meningococcal disease often are mistaken for
other less serious illnesses like the flu.
Common symptoms include:
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High fever (over 101.4
˚F)
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A flat, pink
to red rash mainly on the lower arms and legs, including the
hands and feet with small bruises or bleeding under the skin
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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Generalized
aching or weakness
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Sudden, severe
headache
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Confusion
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Sensitivity to
light
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Stiff neck in
combination with headache and sensitivity to light (may signal
the meningitis form of the illness and should never be ignored)
It is
important to seek medical treatment immediately.
Meningococcal or meningitis can get worse very quickly,
even within a few hours from the start of symptoms. If
untreated, the disease can be fatal or cause kidney failure,
hearing loss, limb amputation, or lifelong problems with the
nervous system.
TREATMENT There are
antibiotics that are used to treat meningococcal disease.
When given shortly after the onset of symptoms, these
antibiotics may prevent the disease from getting worse. Because
the infection spreads to others very easily, anyone in close
contact with a person with meningococcal disease should
consult their physician and also be given an antibiotic to help
prevent meningococcal disease.
Excerpts from American
Academy of Pediatrics
Carol Keith R.N.
Patty Canright R.N. |
