Meningitis: prevention. On how to properly conduct it, and whether it is worth spending money on vaccination

Any disease is better to prevent than treat. This applies to meningitis, which is a deadly disease and can be caused by many bacteria and viruses. And each of these microbes is able to penetrate into the body in different ways.

Who should be especially wary of meningitis?

Any person can get a meningitis, it is enough in his organism to get a very aggressive microbe, which has the ability to penetrate the protective barriers directly to the brain shells. Here's who is at risk:

1. Children with congenital immunity defects or HIV-infected.
2. Children who, during pregnancy or childbirth, had a developmental disorder or developed a central nervous system disease ( cerebral palsy, posthypoxic cysts in the brain, fetal cytomegalovirus or Epstein-Barr infection).
3. Elderly people with impaired blood supply to the brain and weakened immunity also fall into the risk group of the disease.
4. Young people, namely:

• Athletes who constantly get head injuries;
• People who are often ill with diseases of the ear, throat, nose;
• Those who underwent plastic surgery on the bones of the skull;
• People who have a constant course of cerebrospinal fluid from the nose or ear.

All these categories are the "favorites" of a disease such as meningitis. Prophylaxis of the disease concerns them in the first place. But in order to prevent the disease with a maximum probability, you need to know why it develops.

Where does meningitis come from?

The disease can be caused by various microbes: viruses, fungi, protozoa, bacteria, association of microbes. The notion of the "meningitis virus" in medicine does not exist, since many viruses are potentially capable of causing this pathology.

Viral meningitis can develop as a complication of common infections: ARVI, "childhood diseases" such as measles, mumps, chicken pox, rubella, herpes infection. It can also be primary - if enteroviruses enter the body, herpes viruses.

Bacterial meningitis can be caused by:

• Meningococcus, which "flies" in the air, from a patient with meningococcal nasopharyngitis (proceeds as usual ARVI), a carrier of meningococcus or a person who develops a generalized form of infection - meningococcal sepsis or meningoencephalitis;
• Pneumococcus, which most often penetrates from the "sick" ear, throat, nose, lungs, but can also be introduced by airborne droplets;
• Hemophilic rod, which can be transmitted by airborne droplets;
• Other bacteria that most often fall on the meninges in otitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, sepsis; Can be entered with a penetrating wound.

It follows that in order to prevent such a disease as meningitis, prevention should be versatile:

• Taking into account the pathway of the microbe and its properties (nonspecific);
• The one that consists in taking special drugs - vaccines (specific).

The first type of prevention should be observed by everyone, especially its rules it is important to instill in children. The second type is agreed with the infectious disease doctor in each case.

Meningitis: non-specific prophylaxis

This is compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, washing hands, a ban on the use of common towels, washcloths, common dishes in the teams. Enterovirus meningitis can be obtained with the use of unboiled water or milk, less often (mostly in children) through unwashed hands and when using shared towels

Adenovirus and many other meningitis can be partially saved if dressing in the weather, tempering, not having close contact with people who cough or sneeze, just look sick (with red eyes, complain of malaise or fever). It must be borne in mind that the cold disease, which occurs without snot and cough, is also contagious. Therefore, if you are not sure that you are healthy, wear a mask at home, which must be changed every 3-4 hours.

Prevention of bacterial meningitis is that it is necessary to treat otitis, sinusitis, other sinusitis, carious teeth, pneumonia, and other infections in time.

Meningitis: specific prophylaxis

It consists in carrying out the vaccination. From many diseases planned vaccinations are planned: from rubella, mumps, measles, hemophilic infection. There are also unscheduled inoculations, for example, from pneumococcal or meningococcal infections, the need for which is decided by parents in relation to the child individually. Such prevention of meningitis in children may be necessary in the following cases:

• For children with weakened immunity;
• If the spleen was removed;
• If the child is in a boarding school, live in a hostel;
• For children with congenital or acquired pathologies of the central nervous system before going to a kindergarten or school.

Such vaccinations are done every three to four years, the expediency of their administration and possible complications and contraindications should be consulted beforehand with an infectious disease specialist.