How Do You get Meningitis?

World meningitis day is celebrated on 24 April each year to generate and propagate awareness related to the disease. This deadly disease, Meningitis, is a potentially deadly disease that affects more than 1 million people  worldwide each year. Features of  meningitis  is  high fever, headache ,vomiting ,rashes over body ,stiff neck  sensitive  to bright light  irritality, seizures drowsiness and death. Meningitis can affect people of all ages. Most commonly babies, children teenagers and young adults. It may be fatal within 24 hours. Some types of meningitis are preventable by vaccines.

We all should trust our instincts and should not wait until meningitis threatens life. Most meningitis are caused by bacteria, virus, and fungi  which often live is our own bodies .Usually these gems stay in the intestines  or in nose and  throat, where  they may or may not make us sick. But if they spread to meninges they cause inflammation. Meninges are the covering tissues over brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is contagious and can spread by prolonged close exposure and contact of germs by coughing, sneezing, kissing. Meningitis can spread to the other person by skin, guts or chest. There germs get in the blood stream and travel to the brain and spinal cord to start infection.

What aspects can spread Meningitis?

• Household items – Sharing household items such as tooth brushes, cutlery, cigarettes, towel etc can help in spread of infection.
• Winter Season – It is thought the bacteria can the body more easily via the nose throat during winter due to infections with a flu virus.
• Swimming pools- Some type of meningitis can spread through swimming pools.
• Crowded Public Places- The illness can be caught from someone who is ill with meningitis .This disease can spread by overcrowding in public places such as hostels, boarding schools, military bases, universities ,slums, etc.
• Religious gatherings – Crowded condition at religious gathering also put people at an increased risk of contracting meningitis .Be careful around people who have meningitis .

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