Health experts are trying to determine whether the two cases are connected. It is not uncommon for meningitis to develop as a result of pneumonia.
Three public school children in Rhode Island are most likely have developed meningitis, say officials from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In fact, a second grader, from Warwick, died from encephalitis - a result of 'walking pneumonia'. The Public Health Department said the number of 'walking pneumonia' cases among children in Rhode Island has been unusually high. 20,000 children have been kept away from school in Warwick, West Warwick and Coventry.
Health investigators will interview school nurses and look out for possible cases in local hospitals.
Danielle Thompson, 21, a student from the University of New Hampshire, died of meningitis (bacterial) last Wednesday. She had been in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire prior to being admitted to hospital. Authorities say 81 people should be administered antibiotics - 29 in New Hampshire and 55 in Maine. Fortunately, none have been reported in with meningitis symptoms.
Rhode Island Department of Health
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
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Clinical Guidelines Help Identify Which Children At Risk Of Bacterial Meningitis
A set of guidelines have been developed that can help predict the risk of bacterial meningitis for children with cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis (presence of greater number of white blood cells than normal), reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and antibiotics, according to a study in the January 3 issue of JAMA.
Although bacterial meningitis is the greatest concern when evaluating and treating children with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, the majority of these children have viral rather than bacterial meningitis, according to background information in the article. However, because exclusion of bacterial meningitis requires negative CSF (and blood) cultures after 2 to 3 days of incubation, most children with CSF pleocytosis are admitted to the hospital to receive broad-spectrum antibiotics while awaiting culture test results. A highly accurate decision support tool that could identify which children with CSF pleocytosis had a near-zero risk of bacterial meningitis by using clinical and laboratory measures readily available at the time the child is in the clinic could guide decision making and limit unnecessary hospital admissions and prolonged antibiotic use.
Lise E. Nigrovic, M.D., M.P.H., of Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues conducted a study to validate in a large population the clinical prediction rule, the Bacterial Meningitis Score, which classifies patients at very low risk of bacterial meningitis if they lack 5 criteria, which include certain CSF measurements and a history of seizure. The multicenter study was conducted in the emergency departments of 20 U.S. academic medical centers between January 2001 and June 2004 and included 3,295 children, age 29 days to 19 years with CSF pleocytosis.
Among these patients, 121 (3.7 percent) had bacterial meningitis and 3,174 (96.3 percent) had aseptic (nonbacterial) meningitis. Of the 1,714 patients categorized as very low risk by the Bacterial Meningitis Score, only 2 had bacterial meningitis (both were younger than 2 months old) and 1,712 had aseptic meningitis. The sensitivity of the Bacterial Meningitis Score (i.e., having 1 or more Bacterial Meningitis Score risk factor) for bacterial meningitis was 98.3 percent and the specificity was 61.5 percent.
The authors write that for patients with at least 1 Bacterial Meningitis Score risk factor or who are younger than 2 months, they suggest admission to the hospital and administration of parenteral (administered intravenously or by injection) antibiotics.
"In the conjugate H influenzae type b and pneumococcal vaccines era, bacterial meningitis has become an uncommon disease in U.S. children. Therefore, the majority of children with CSF pleocytosis have aseptic rather than bacterial meningitis. Furthermore, our study confirms that most children with CSF pleocytosis are admitted to the hospital to receive parenteral antibiotics while awaiting bacterial culture test results. Using the Bacterial Meningitis Score prediction rule to assist with clinical decision making could substantially reduce unnecessary hospital admissions for children with CSF pleocytosis at very low risk of bacterial meningitis. Future investigations should study the clinical implementation of the Bacterial Meningitis Score as a guide to help care for children with CSF pleocytosis," the researchers conclude.
American Medical Association (AMA)
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NFL Superstar Deion Branch Partners With Meningitis Foundation Of America To Raise Awareness About Importance Of Vaccines
The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA) and National Football League star Deion Branch are asking for your help in raising awareness about the importance of meningitis vaccinations, by launching a series of Public Service Announcements.
Meningitis is a serious, sometimes fatal infection causing inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord. It is contagious, as the bacteria and viruses that cause meningitis are spread by methods such as coughing, sneezing and kissing. Young children are more susceptible to bacterial meningitis than others, but vaccinations can help prevent children from getting some forms of meningitis.
However, not all children are getting vaccinated. Only 60 percent of African American children under two years of age are being immunized (compared with 84.8 percent of white children). Pneumococcal disease, which includes meningitis, is more common among children of certain racial or ethnic groups, including African-Americans, than among other groups.
Deion Branch, wide receiver for the New England Patriots and Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIX, knows first-hand about the dangers of meningitis. Deion's son, Deiondre, contracted meningitis when he was just an infant. Deion has dedicated his time and energy towards raising awareness about meningitis and disease prevention through the MFA and the Deion Branch Foundation.
For more information, please visit MFA's website: http://www.musa.org.
The Meningitis Foundation of America
http://www.musa.org
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