Dr Byan Betty: Chair of General Practice NZ on meningitis, what is it and what to do about it?
Saturday Morning with Jack Tame · Newstalk ZB
March 24, 20234m 38s
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Show Notes
What is it?
- Serious infection of blood or brain (meningitis)
- Can lead to very severe disease or even death.
- Caused by a bacteria called meningococcal. - 15% of us carry it in our nose and throat and it doesn’t harm us.
- For reasons we don’t understand it can occasionally transmit to others and cause the disease.
Who gets it?
- Peak those under 5, and teenagers/young adults up to 25
- High risk are young adults moving into halls of residence – university or boarding school
- We don’t understand why some get the disease. Bug doesn’t survive long outside the nose or throat – thought spread close contact kissing, eating utensils, sneezing.
How do you recognise it?
- Often starts with temp, vomiting or muscle/joint pian like any other illness.
- However, it can worsen every very rapidly without warning – severe headache, stiff neck, drowsiness, rash – serious requires urgent medical attention.
- It is rare, however can happen out of the blue with little or no warning.
What to do about it?
- Antibiotics can cure if get early enough
- However only real protection immunisation.
- Under-fives now have a meningitis vaccine in immunisation schedule
- 13- to 25-year-olds: moving to halls of residence, boarding school can get a free immunisations for the main types of meningitis.
- As parents think about immunising their children if going to university or boarding school – talk to your GP or Nurse.
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