Prepared by

EDY PURNOMO
Dr, Sp.S
• Meningitis is one of the
most terrifying diseases.
It can be fatal in hours
yet its early symptoms
resemble self-limiting
conditions like flu and
colds…..
 Casualties…

• Meningitis has
claimed the lives of
two children and a
woman in Wigan.
• A five-month-old baby
and a 42-year-old
woman have also died
of the brain disease in
south Wales.
The characteristic blotches of
the bacterial form of the disease
 What is meningitis?

• Meningitis is an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the

fluid that surrounds the brain. Meningitis is usually caused by
an infection with a virus, with a bacterium or even with fungi.
 Definition of meningitis

 A general name for inflammation of :

• sheaths that cover the brain

and spinal cord. • the fluid that circulates in the spaces
(selaput otak dan saraf tunjang) in and around the brain and spinal cord.
(bendalir pada otak dan saraf tunjang)

Meningitis can be caused by infectious or noninfectious agents. Infectious agents

include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms such as protozoa and
rickettsia.
• Caused by virus.
• Less severe • Caused by bacteria
• Resolves without specific • Quite severe and may result in
treatment within a week or two a) brain damage
• Also called as aseptic meningitis b) hearing loss
• Eg : Enteroviruses c) learning disability
(family of viruses) • It would also causes death!

For bacterial meningitis, it is also important to know which type of

bacteria is causing the meningitis because antibiotics can prevent
some types from spreading and infecting other people.
 • Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)

• Meningococcus
• Pneumococcus
 Meningococcus
• common organisms that cause meningitis
in children.
• caused by bacteria called Neisseria
meningitidis.
• There are several strains of Neisseria
meningitidis.
• Strain B causes about 75 percent of the
meningococcal cases and has the highest
fatality rate.
 Haemophilus Influenzae type B
(Hib)

• is caused by haemophilus bacteria. It was

once the most common form of bacterial
meningitis,
• one of the deadliest childhood diseases.
 Pneumococcus

• is caused by pneumococcus bacteria,

which also cause several diseases of the
respiratory system, including pneumonia.
• It has a fatality rate of about 20 percent.
• It also results in a higher incidence of brain
damage than other forms of the disease.
 How do people get it?
• The most frequent cause of meningitis is the entry of
microorganisms from an infection elsewhere in the body
through the blood into the cerebrospinal fluid.

• Luckily, it's not easy to get meningitis. The body has

natural defenses against infections - and usually even if
someone comes across a virus or bacteria that can cause
meningitis, the body can fight it off.

• However, certain germs may outsmart the body's

defenses and spread inside of the body. Some of these
germs might then have the ability to infect the central
nervous system, invading the meninges and causing
meningitis.
 Symptoms

Symptoms of meningitis can come on very quickly or take a couple of days to

appear. Most cases of meningitis occur in the first 5 years of life, with the peak
incidence between 3 and 5 months of age.
 Incubation
• This varies with the organism and the underlying
cause of the meningitis, but once the organisms
have entered the cerebrospinal fluid, the body
defenses cannot control their rapid growth as
well as they could when the organisms were
only in the bloodstream.

• Once bacteria have entered the spinal fluid, the

child usually shows symptoms fairly rapidly.
Complications of Meningitis
One of the most common
problems resulting from
meningitis is hearing loss.
Anyone who has had meningitis
should take a hearing test.

• Young children:
1. Babyish behavior
2. Forgetting recently learned skills
3. Reverting to bed-wetting
4. Babyish behavior
• Older people:
1. Lethargy
2. Recurring headaches
3. Difficulty in concentration
4. Short-term memory loss
5. Clumsiness
6. Balance problems
7. Depression
 Serious complications
• Other serious
complications can
include:

1. Brain damage

1. Epilepsy

2. Changes in eye sight

 Yup! It can!
• Bacterial meningitis can be treated with a number of
effective antibiotics. It is important, however, that
treatment be started early in the course of the disease.
Appropriate antibiotic treatment of most common types
of bacterial meningitis should reduce the risk of dying
from meningitis to below 15%, although the risk is higher
among the elderly.

• Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or a

bacterium is important because of differences in the
seriousness of the illness and the treatment needed.
 Vaccine for meningitis~~
• There are vaccines against Hib and against some
strains of N. meningitidis and many types of
Streptococcus pneumoniae. The vaccine against
haemophilus influenze (Hib) has reduced Hib
meningitis cases by 95 percent since 1985.
• There are vaccines to prevent meningitis due to S.
pneumoniae. The pneumococcal polysaccharide
vaccine is recommended for all persons over 65 years
of age and younger persons at least 2 years old with
certain chronic medical problems.
 SUMMARY
• Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membrane lining the brain
and spinal cord caused most often by a viral or bacterial infection that crosses
the body's blood-brain barrier.
• Meningitis is diagnosed by a lumbar puncture , in which a small amount of
fluid is collected from the spinal column.
• There are two main types of meningitis: bacterial and viral. Bacterial
meningitis is less common, but more serious.
• Bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics and the majority of patients
make a full recovery.
• Viral meningitis usually requires no treatment beyond painkillers.
• Most patients make a full recovery from meningitis. A small number of
infected people end up with hearing or vision loss or brain damage.
• Vaccinations against some forms of meningitis are available. They are
recommended for children under age 5, people in close contact with someone
who has developed meningitis, college students, and people travelling to
certain overseas destinations.
Visit Malaysia!
It’s a beautiful
country.