Signs and Symptoms

Just like with any health crisis, it is important to seek medical attention if you are experiencing any health related issues that are outside of your norm.  For diseases like meningococcal meningitis, it is important to seek medical attention immediately.  The faster the medical team is able to diagnose your condition, the better your outcomes will be.  Typically, symptoms of meningitis arise within 3-7 days after being exposed (CDC, 2014). Symptoms of meningococcal meningitis may vary from case to case.  However, the most common symptoms include poor feeling, sudden high fever, persistent headache, neck stiffness, nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, drowsiness, joint pain, and confusion (WHO, 2014).   These symptoms are attributed to the increased swelling and pressure that is applied to the brain.  These are the symptoms that lead the patient to seeking care.

http://www.eastmed.co.nz/meningococcal-alert-auckland-september-2012.php

Even though there are common symptoms of meningococcal meningitis, there are other, more serious, symptoms that may arise.  Since the bacterium is traveling in the blood, it is possible to develop septicemia (CDC, 2014).  This is also known as blood poisoning.  When blood poisoning is occurring, a red or purple rash on the skin will occur (WHO, 2014).  This rash is a sign of a medical emergency that could potentially lead to the loss of limbs.  Along with the rash, other symptoms may appear that signify blood poisoning.  These include tense or bulging soft spots in a baby’s skull, irritability, fast breathing, excessive sleepiness, blotchy skin that turns pale or blue, shivering, cold hands and feet, or seizures. 

http://mumcentral.com.au/meningococcal-disease-what-you-need-to-know/

Since babies are commonly affected, it is important to recognize the signs of what to look for since they cannot communicate directly.  Babies may have a fever with cold hands and feet, refuse to feed, vomit, dislike being handled, express irritable behavior, difficult to wake, high pitched cry, neck retraction with arching of the back, blank expression, and convulsions (Nachlappan, 2012). 

http://www.eastmed.co.nz/meningococcal-alert-auckland-september-2012.php 

Even if patients make it to the hospital, 5-10% of patients die within 24-48 hours of the initial onset of symptoms (WHO, 2014). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (April, 2014). Meningococcal Disease: Signs and Symptoms.  Retrieved from                     http://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/about/symptoms.html

Mum Central. (June, 2014). Meningococcal Disease: What You Need To Know. Retrieved from http://mumcentral.com.au/meningococcal-disease-what-you-need-to-know/

Nachlappan, Siva. (September, 2012). Meningitis- Alert. Retrieved from http://www.eastmed.co.nz/meningococcal-alert-auckland-september-2012.php

World Health Organization. (December, 2014).  Meningococcal Meningitis. Retrieved from                                                                    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/