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Home › Articles › Nutrition and Health › One Child Too Many

One Child Too Many

Preventing Bacterial Meningitis

By Kelly Burgess

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His point is not that we should become more insular, but that we should become more proactive. However, that's not possible if the first a parent ever hears about meningitis is when their child dies from it.

Mike Kepferle, who after Pat's death went on to co-found the National Meningitis Association, says getting the word out to parents is complicated by several factors. One is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't see meningitis as enough of a threat to make it part of the recommended childhood vaccines; therefore, it's not usually even on the radar of most doctors. Also, there is some confusion because there are several types of meningitis, so parents may think their child has already been immunized against the deadly Meningococcal bacteria. In fact, this is a vaccine that is not given to a child unless it is specifically requested by a parent.

Thanks to the efforts of parents like the Koenigs and Kepferles, most colleges now strongly recommend a vaccine to protect incoming students from bacterial meningitis – some even require it. While this is a step in the right direction, cases like Emily Koenig's show that it's not just college-age students or the close quarters of college dorm rooms that put young people at risk. That's why they want to see every child vaccinated at as early an age as possible, and they want every parent to be informed about the dangers of meningitis and the availability of a vaccine, so they can make informed decisions.

Facts About Meningitis

There are two major types of meningitis – viral and bacterial. Most types of bacterial meningitis can be prevented by vaccination. Viral meningitis has similar symptoms to bacterial meningitis, but is neither as deadly nor as debilitating for the most part. There is no vaccine protection against viral meningitis.

The three main types of bacterial meningitis in the United States are:

  • Pneumococcal meningitis (Streptococcus pneumoniae) – Primarily affects younger children and can be prevented by the vaccine Prevnar.
  • Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) – Hib meningitis primarily attacks the very young, but has nearly been eradicated in the United States.
  • Meningococcal meningitis (Neisseria meningitidis) – The bacteria that cause this strain reside in the throats and nasal passages of approximately 15 percent of the general population. Researchers are unsure why the bacteria attacks some people, while most of the population are not affected. Meningococcal disease results when the meningitis bacteria infect the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can spread to the bloodstream and other organs, resulting in blood poisoning.

Although most cases involve very young children in the United States, recent studies indicate that especially among adolescents and young adults, factors such as close living; sharing utensils, cups, cigarettes, lip gloss; lowered immune levels due to fatigue or recent illness; and other environmental and behavioral factors may play a significant role in who gets Meningococcal disease.

There are approximately 3,000 cases every year in the United States. According to the CDC, between 10 to 15 percent of the cases are fatal. About 15 percent of survivors end up with multiple amputations, organ damage, brain damage or other severe side effects. That means that nearly one-third of all the known cases in the United States every year have fatal or debilitating effects on the victims.


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