C228 Community Health Task 2
Michelle Wall
Meningococcal disease is a disease that can be found worldwide. Meningococcal disease refers to any disease or illness that is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitides, also called meningococcus (Meningococcal disease, 2015). The first documented outbreak was over two hundred years ago in Geneva in 1805 which circulated rapidly and killed thirty three people. The first case ever recorded in America was in 1806 in Medford, Massachusetts (Fredericks, n.d.). A European physician, Professor A Weichselbaum, discovered the cause of the mysterious cerebro-spinal meningitis illness in 1887 and Penicillin was the first antibiotic used to fight the disease. In 1978 the first
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Treatment for infected people involve antibiotics, steroids, intensive care, and droplet precautions. Prophylactic antibiotics are usually given to prevent the spread of the disease to those in close contact of the infected people.
Africa has the highest incidence of meningococcal disease, tuberculosis, and malaria because of overcrowding in many villages. There is an area in sub-Saharan Africa called the Meningitis Belt that stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia with over 20,000 reported cases and 2,000 deaths every year (Healthgrades editorial staff, 2015). During the dry season in Africa, from December through June, meningitis epidemics occur with the three major areas infected being Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Chad. The most recent outbreak of the meningococcal disease reported in the United States occurred as meningitis in the dorms at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Princeton University in New Jersey in December of 2013 (Doheny, 2013). When the outbreak occurred at these two universities it was caused from serotype B of the disease and resulted in one death. Since the current meningococcal vaccine does not cover the serotype B bacteria the FDA allowed the use of a special vaccine from New Zealand to treat the outbreaks (Burrell, 2015). One in five US teens have not had their first recommended dose of meningococcal vaccine and for those who have had the first dose of the vaccine,
There are over 4000 people affected by bacterial meningitis and around 500 deaths from this in the US every year ("Meningitis."). 6000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis are reported in the US each year and meningococcal meningitis infects close to 2600 people in the US each year ("Meningitis."). 10-15% of these meningococcal cases are fatal, while an additional 10-15% lives with permanent
Today the Strathalbyn boy has joined two other survivors of a deadly strain of meningococcal who are calling for a potentially life-saving vaccine to be subsidised to spare families the trauma of the killer disease.
This paper received all 4s on the grading rubric. I mention this so you can eval the paper appropriately. I hope it helps.
The disease give off a toxin in the life cycle of bacteria after it life span has ended and it has quickly multiplied. The toxin which is emitted is so deadly, it rapidly kills tissues surrounding the areas where the highest concentrations of the bacteria is located. Oddly, when the bacteria is treated with an antibiotic, it produces more toxin because a greater number of bacteria are being killed. Though historically the meningococcal disease has been known to only attack and the very young. There are now more and more cases of the disease appearing in the “young adult” crowd. These would be at the roughly college age.
Rouphael N, Stephens S (2015, March 4) Neisseria meningitidis: Biology, Microbiology and Epidemiology Retrieved from
Obesity was significantly more prevalent amongst female African Americans in this community. With the highest rate affecting women between the ages of 45 to 64. Obesity was also higher amongst Black females who’s educational attainment was lower
Lafayette College policy requires all the freshmen living in college dormitories to receive vaccination against meningococcal disease. Since the meningitis immunization is not an establish practice in my home country Georgia, Lafayette administration proposed to conduct the vaccination in the United States, in its affiliated health center Bailey’s. Like most international students, I received meningitis B vaccination on the second day of my arrival on campus.
Meningitis is an infectious disease that can be found within the indigenous Australian community. Incidence and prevalence, when regarding an infectious agent or disease, utilizes measurements to determine new cases and existing cases of a disease process or infectious condition. Mathematical equations are utilized in order to determine and compare the survival or recovery, and duration of diseases ( Stanhope & Lancaster, 2011).The incidence and prevalence of meningitis in the indigenous Australian people, is higher in the rural areas then in the larger regions of Australia due to lack of access to vaccinations, and compliance with treatment. As noted via the meningococcal Australia INC
In 1887, the causative agent Neisseria Meningitidis, the meningococcus, was identified. Because of its potential to cause epidemics, Neisseria Meningitidis is one of the most important types. In 1805, when Meningococcal disease was first described, an outbreak swept through Geneva, Switzerland. Twelve subtypes of Neisseria Meningitidis have been identified. Four of them have been recognized to cause epidemics. Those four are: A, B, C, and W135. The capabilities differ of the pathogenicity, immunogenicity, and
Meningitis is a serious infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by meningococcal disease, which is contracted by 1,000 to 2,600 people yearly in the United States. Meningococcal disease is also serious, with one in ten cases leading to
In nineteenth century Geneva, a family came down with a strange disease— one that had never previously been diagnosed. In a short time, many people in their town were infected and thirty-three people were left dead. This strange disease was later determined to be meningitis. In 1806, the United States saw its first outbreak of meningitis in Massachusetts. It was not until 1887, however, that Professor Anton Weichselbaum was able to determine a cause of meningitis: a bacterium called Neisseria meningitides. Penicillin was first used to combat meningitis in 1944, and in 1978, a vaccine became available. The usage of vaccines was detrimental in the battle to gain control over the spread of meningitis (7). Even with these vaccines, however,
Bacterial Meningitis affects the nervous system by causing inflammation of a trio of membranes known as the Meninges that are situated around the brain and spinal cord. It 's a disease that is slowly but surely being defeated worldwide with mortality rates falling from 464,000 deaths in 1990 to 303,000 in 2013[3]. Common symptoms throughout the period of an infection include; headaches, vomiting, fever, neck stiffness and an altered mental state. The severity of symptoms can depend on the species of bacteria that caused the infection. Due to recent medical advancements the rates of mortality have fallen considerably in the developed world, however meningitis is still prevalent in less economically developed countries. In this document I will be describing the various inner workings of the disease, but more specifically, it 's pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and preventative methods, furthermore I shall also be focusing more on the prevalence of the disease in the UK, as opposed to other locations. [1]
Meningococcal disease is a large concern in the medical field because it is unbiased towards the patients it infects. There has been limited success in trying to eliminate this disease. Antibiotics play a role in helping to treat patients with bacterial meningitis, and steroids have been tested to help reduce risk factors. Prevention has also become a key issue because meningitis can only be spread through direct contact with infected body fluid. The best prevention is to maintain clean hygiene. Vaccines are another way of preventing disease. However, there are multiple serogroups of meningitis that makes creating a universal vaccine extremely difficult. So far, there have only been two
In 1906 it was first discovered that horses were a viable source to make antibodies that could be used against the meningococcal bacteria. This was then further looked into and made more progress by an American scientist by the name of Simon Flexner. Flexner’s further development of the antibodies from the horses aided in the attempt to lower the mortality rate from the meningococcal disease. (1) The first reported case of using penicillin against meningitis and effectively working was not until over forty years later. Georg Joachmann, in Germany, and Flexner, in America, were the firsts to successfully treat meningitis with introduction of the serum therapy for meningococcal meningitis.
Public health is a dynamic field of medicine that is concerned primarily with improving the health of populations rather than just the health of individuals. Winslow (1920) defined public health as;