Meningitis

(Brain Infection, Inflammation of the Meninges)

In this factsheet:
• The Facts on Meningitis
• Causes of Meningitis
• Symptoms and Complications of Meningitis
• Diagnosing Meningitis
• Treating and Preventing Meningitis

Diagnosing Meningitis

Describing symptoms like those mentioned above will go a long way towards identifying meningitis. Your doctor can then confirm the diagnosis by analyzing a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid. Fluid is drawn through a needle from the lower part of the spinal cord in a procedure called a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). The fluid is then checked for the presence and type of bacteria. Knowing which species of bacteria is responsible for the meningitis allows your doctor to tailor the treatment for best results.

Treating and Preventing Meningitis

The infection that causes bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics. Since many bacteria have become resistant to penicillin, combinations of different antibiotics may be used nowadays. You might have to take the antibiotics for as long as three weeks.

Children over one month of age are often given anti-inflammatory medication. This reduces the risk of deafness or other brain-related effects of meningitis.

Children are routinely immunized with the Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. This is an important preventive measure, since the Hib bacteria used to be the most common cause of meningitis in children. Newer vaccines such as those against meningococcal group C bacteria (the most common cause of bacterial meningitis outbreaks in Canada) and pneumococcal bacteria promise to greatly reduce the risk for meningitis caused by these organisms. Health Canada now recommends that children be immunized with the new meningococcal vaccine (MenC-conjugate) at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is also being recommended for infants at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months of age. For adults over 65, a different vaccine is available to reduce the risk of getting meningitis from the pneumococcal bacteria. It's also recommended for people without a spleen or those whose immune systems are not working properly.

There are other vaccines available for protection against different strains of meningococcus bacteria. They are only recommended for people in high-risk situations, such as a local outbreak or travel to regions that have higher rates of meningitis. If you've been in close contact with someone who has meningitis caused by a Meningococcus or H. influenzae infection, your doctor likely will prescribe antibiotics for you as a precautionary measure.

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