Research Paper On Meningitis

Meningitis is a very debilitating, and sometimes deadly, disease (Bacterial 2015). This is because, as a disease, meningitis targets the brain and spinal cord (Bacterial 2015). Considering that these organs are very important for maintaining life, this disease is very debilitating. Meningitis occurs when the meninges, the covering of the brain and spinal cord, is inflamed (Bacterial 2015). Surprisingly, meningitis is hard to detect until after many of its symptoms have been displayed by the patient. Most of these symptoms are harmless, however, the last one would be followed by immediate death (Bacterial 2015). This could result in damage to the brain and spine that range from deafness to death (Bacterial 2015). However, it is important to …show more content…
Currently, there is a sub-Saharan region, called the meningitis belt, which is responsible for most of the cases of meningitis (Epidemiology 2012). This region of the world not only experiences a high rate of infections, but also experiences cycles of infection that range from eight to ten years (Epidemiology 2012). During these cycles, epidemics often cause the rate of infection to skyrocket from 50/100,000 cases to over 1000/100,000 cases (Epidemiology 2012). As a result, death due to meningitis is high for many sub-Saharan states (Epidemiology 2012). Furthermore, the meningitis belt puts approximately 300 million or more lives at risk for the disease (Epidemiology 2012). Meningitis overall is a serous threat to anyone, especially individuals who live in sub-Saharan African states. However, most of these individuals do not have access to the proper knowledge and tools that would help them understand and treat meningitis (Epidemiology …show more content…
As such, it is wise to keep an eye on any individual displaying the symptoms of headache, delirium or irritation (emdicine 2016). However, only 1 out of every 4 cases will display this range of symptoms within a day (Hasburn 2016). Another complication could arise if the patient previously under went organ transplantation, as they would be taking immunosuppressant drugs, and thus not present symptoms of infection until later on (Hasburn 2016). Once the disease is diagnosed early, treatment with anti-biotics often reduces possible negative outcomes while reducing mortality (Hasburn 2016). If discovered too late, there is almost always a high chance of death (emedicne 2016). For most developed nations, this is not a problem due to the wealth of resources available, however, we must first understand how many different treatments are available for this