Should I have my child vaccinated against meningitis? If you're on the fence about giving your child this vaccine, know it is actually recommended to do so. Why? Here are a few facts about meningitis that will shed a little light on the matter.
Meningitis is a preventable disease
Meningitis was once a relatively common disease for a child to get. Often, children would die suddenly from this infection. But today, having children vaccinated against meningitis provides them with the best possible protection against it.
Ten to twenty per cent of people who contract meningitis will face permanent long-term consequences such as brain damage, speech impairment, deafness, or amputation. In addition, meningitis leads to death in 10per cent of cases. Fortunately, there are safe vaccines available that give protection against meningitis and its various forms. See a health professional to learn about the characteristics of each vaccine.
What is meningitis?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord. In some cases it is caused by a virus, whose symptoms resemble those of a cold, and it disappears on its own after two weeks. However, meningitis can also be caused by a bacterium. In this case, the disease is much more serious. There are four types of bacterial meningitis.
- Pneumococcalmeningitis. This is the main cause of meningitis in North America. The bacterium also causes pneumonia and ear infections.
- Hibmeningitis. Once the most frequent form of meningitis, it has been all but eradicated in Canada through the systematic vaccination of babies since the 1990s.
- Meningococcal meningitis. This is the only form of meningitis that can become epidemic. The bacterium is present in 10 to 25 per cent of the global population, but it only causes meningitis in very rare cases.
- Listeria meningitis (listeriosis). This bacterium enters the food chain through contaminated water and soil. Listeriosis is not dangerous in otherwise healthy adults, but it may cause meningitis in babies and young children. Mothers can also transmit listeriosis to the fetus.
The main symptoms of meningitis
- High fever
- Severe headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Sleepiness
- Hypersensitivity to light
- Redness or skin rashes
Consult your doctor
If you’re wondering whether or not to vaccinate your child against meningitis, talk to a health professional to learn about which vaccination protocol is in force in your area. And if your child presents symptoms of the disease, consult a doctor without delay; early detection decreases the risk of complications and death.
