All Client Information is kept confidential.

A vaccine is also available that offers protection to

some of the strains of Neisseria meningitides which
causes bacterial meningococcal meningitis. The men-

MENINGITIS
ingococcal vaccine has been recommended for pre-
adolescents (11-12 years old), teenagers, and college Administration 758-3820
bound students. The vaccine is also recommended HIV Testing & Counseling 758-3880
for people traveling to countries where outbreaks of
meningitis are common. Communicable Disease 758-3885
Community Resource Nurse 758-3675
Dental 758-3835
Environmental Health 758-3830
Family Planning 758-3870
Hearing Impaired Line 758-3725
Hearing & Vision 758-3890
Please contact your physician or the Saginaw County Immunization 758-3840
Department of Public Health if you have questions
Laboratory 758-3825
about any of these vaccines.
Lead Testing 758-3768
Nursing Services 758-3850
Wash your hands!
Saginaw Health Plan 758-3855
Viral meningitis is prevented only through good hy- Sexually Transmitted 758-3880
giene practices. Diseases Saginaw County
Substance Abuse Assessment 758-3781
Washing your hands thoroughly and frequently is Department of Public Health
your best defense against meningitis and other After Hours 888-466-3141
infectious diseases.
WIC 758-3733
1600 N. Michigan Ave.
Saginaw, MI 48602
(989) 758-3800
“Protecting and promoting the public’s health
and well-being”
www.saginawpublichealth.org
7/03 Rev. 7/06
 What is meningitis? What are the signs and symptoms How is meningitis diagnosed and
Meningitis is an infection and of meningitis? treated?
inflammation of the brain
Symptoms of both viral and bacterial meningitis To accurately diagnose the illness, your doctor
lining (the meninges) and the
may include: may need to perform a lumbar puncture. In this
fluid that circulates around
procedure, a sample of cerebrospinal fluid is ob-
the brain and spinal cord • fever tained by inserting a needle into an area of the
(cerebrospinal fluid). Menin-
gitis is usually caused by a • stiff neck lower back. The fluid is tested in a lab to deter-
mine the type of meningitis. The results will deter-
viral or bacterial infection. The severity of the • severe headache mine the appropriate treatment for the infected
infection and type of treatment varies depending
upon which type of meningitis a person has. • nausea person and close contacts. As
mentioned previously, bacterial
Bacterial meningitis may result in death or • vomiting meningitis is treated aggressively
residual brain damage, blindness, or hearing loss.
It must be treated with intravenous antibiotics. • seizure with intravenous antibiotics in the
hospital, and it is considered con-
Viral meningitis is generally less severe and • sensitivity to light tagious until 24 hours after such
resolves without specific treatment in 1-2 weeks.
• confusion/drowsiness treatment is started. Viral menin-
gitis usually resolves on its own
How is meningitis spread? • skin rash near the armpit area or on hands and
with proper rest and fluids.
feet
Most cases of meningitis occur when viruses or
bacteria from an infection in another part of
• rapid progression of small pinpoint dot hemor- How can I prevent meningitis?
your body travel through the bloodstream to rhages called petechiae under the skin, mainly on
the arms and legs Contacts: Prophylactic antibiotics
your brain and spinal cord. Bacteria can also
If you have been in close contact with someone
spread directly to the brain or spine from a se-
These symptoms may develop rapidly (over several who is diagnosed with bacterial
vere head injury. Viral meningitis is often caused
hours). It is easy to mistake the early symptoms of meningitis, your doctor may pre-
by common intestinal viruses. The period of
bacterial or viral meningitis for the flu. scribe antibiotics to help prevent
time between exposure to the virus and when
you from obtaining or spreading
symptoms appear varies. The typical incubation
In newborns and small infants, the classic symptoms the infection.
period for bacterial meningitis is 2-10 days. Al-
though the viruses and bacteria that cause men- of fever, headache, and stiff neck may be absent or
difficult to detect. Instead, the infant may be unusu- Vaccinations
ingitis are contagious, not everyone who comes
ally sleepy, increasingly irritable (constant crying), or Many children now receive protection against
in contact with meningitis will develop the dis-
eating poorly. It is important to seek medical advice if some of the bacteria that cause bacterial meningi-
ease. In fact, meningitis typically occurs in iso-
any of these symptoms are noted. tis as part of their routine childhood immuniza-
lated cases. You may be exposed when someone
tions. The Hib vaccine protects against the bacte-
with meningitis coughs or sneezes. The infec-
Meningitis is a medical emergency. How well ria Haemophilus influenzae. The Pneumococcal
tion can spread through such activities as kissing,
you recover often depends on how quickly you conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) protects against Strep-
or sharing eating utensils or a
receive treatment. If you or anyone in your fam- tococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Another
toothbrush. You are also at in-
ily has symptoms of meningitis, seek medical vaccine, the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vac-
creased risk if you live or work very
care right away! cine (PPV), protects against a strain of the S.
closely with someone who is diag-
pneumoniae bacteria that often causes Pneumo-
nosed with meningitis as opposed to
coccal pneumonia and meningitis in the elderly
casual or public contact e.g. becom-
and is recommended for all adults over the age of
ing infected while shopping at a mall or grocery
65.
store.