What is the Meningitis Research Foundation?
What is the Meningitis Research Foundation?
Meningitis Research Foundation is a leading UK, Irish and international charity that brings together people and expertise to defeat meningitis and septicaemia wherever it exists. Our vision is of a world free from meningitis and septicaemia. A world where effective vaccinations can protect everyone.
Who founded meningitis?
One of the earliest descriptions of meningitis that we can point to came from Thomas Willis (1621 – 1675), who described patients with “inflammation of the meninges with a continual fever” in 1661.
How common is meningitis in Canada?
There is an average of almost 200 cases per year in Canada. Symptoms of invasive meningococcal disease happen between two to 10 days after exposure, most typically between 3-4 days.
Is there meningitis in Canada?
Since 2007 there have been nearly 200 cases of meningitis per year in Canada, on average. It’s fatal in roughly one in 10 cases. Up to one-third of cases result in long-term disabilities.
Why do uni students need the meningitis jab?
Why teenagers and students should have the MenACWY vaccine Older teenagers and new university students are at higher risk of infection because many of them mix closely with lots of new people, some of whom may unknowingly carry the meningococcal bacteria at the back of their nose and throat.
Where does meningococcal originate from?
Bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis cause meningococcal disease. About 1 in 10 people have these bacteria in the back of their nose and throat without being ill. This is called being ‘a carrier’. Sometimes the bacteria invade the body and cause certain illnesses, which are known as meningococcal disease.
Where did meningitis come from?
Bacteria that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord cause acute bacterial meningitis. But it can also occur when bacteria directly invade the meninges. This may be caused by an ear or sinus infection, a skull fracture, or — rarely — some surgeries.
Is there a vaccine for meningitis in Canada?
There are three kinds of meningococcal vaccine available in Canada. Each vaccine provides different protection: Meningococcal C vaccine (Men-C-C) is usually given to babies and young children. It protects against type C of the meningococcus germ, which used to be very common before this vaccine was available.
How does meningitis cause DIC?
Meningococcemia, like many other gram-negative blood infections, can cause disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), which is the inappropriate clotting of blood within the vessels. DIC can cause ischemic tissue damage when upstream thrombi obstruct blood flow and haemorrhage because clotting factors are exhausted.
Do you need meningitis shot before university?
Students should contact their GP to have the MenACWY vaccine before starting university or college. If that’s not possible, they should have it as soon as they can after they begin university. Find out if you can have the MenACWY vaccine with the Meningitis Research Foundation’s eligibility checker.
