Meningitis can affect people of all ages but it is more common in babies and young children, teenagers and students, and adults with weakened immune systems. When it occurs, the disease strikes quickly, across all age groups, and amongst even the healthiest of people. Meningitis develops rapidly from initial symptoms into a life-threatening medical emergency, which can cause death or severe disability if not recognised and treated. Recent outbreaks of meningitis amongst school children and students remind us that it is important to stay alert and protect ourselves and our families from this devastating disease. What is meningitis? Meningitis is a serious condition in which infection causes inflammation of the protective membranes (or meninges) which surround the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis is usually caused by viral, bacterial or fungal infection but can also have other causes, such as cancer, parasites or traumatic head injury. Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form of the disease, as it develops rapidly into sepsis and causes permanent damage to the brain and nerves. Bacterial meningitis must be treated urgently in hospital with intravenous antibiotics. Delays in treatment result in death or life-changing, severe disability. Approximately 1 in 6 people who contract bacterial meningitis die from the disease. Many of those who survive suffer lifelong disability from limb loss and amputation, severe brain injury, or more subtle neurological disability causing ‘hidden’ problems with memory and concentration or deafness. Are babies at higher risk of meningitis? Babies are at increased risk of meningitis in the newborn (neonatal) first few days of life and in infancy and early childhood. A newborn baby may be at risk of neonatal meningitis from group B streptococcus (group B strep or GBS) if: born prematurely before 37 weeks of pregnancy; their mother had a high temperature (a sign of infection) during childbirth; they were born more than 18 hours after their mother’s membranes (waters) broke; their mother’s previous child had group B strep (GBS) infection. Another common cause of meningitis in newborn babies is from exposure to E coli infection. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of infection in a newborn baby can be life-threatening to the baby. It can also lead to permanent disability from: cerebral palsy; septicaemia or sepsis; pneumonia; blindness; deafness; learning disability. Why do students have a higher risk of meningitis? Students and young adults are at increased risk of meningitis when they live away from home for the first time, often in close quarters with other students. When compared to the general population, greater numbers of students have been found to carry meningococcal bacteria in their throats. There are a number of factors which make students more vulnerable to meningitis. These include: intimacy; new exposure to other students from different environments; living in close quarters with others; alcohol; not looking after themselves. Being away from home and parental supervision, young students are also less likely to recognise when they are seriously ill. This puts them at higher risk, not only of contracting meningitis, but also of their condition going unnoticed. Early signs of meningitis may be mistaken for freshers’ flu or a severe hangover. Flatmates or friends may not recognise lethargy, drowsiness, irritability or other signs of illness as a cause for concern requiring urgent medical attention in the same way that a parent would. Are adults at risk of meningitis? Adults of any age can be affected by meningitis infection. An adult’s risk increases as they get older. Adults with health conditions which affect their immune system and reduce their body’s ability to fight infection are particularly at risk. What are the symptoms and signs of meningitis? It is important to understand that meningitis presents in different ways. Each person’s early symptoms and signs will be different. Even well-known ‘classic’ signs (such as the rash which doesn’t fade under pressure when a glass is pressed firmly against the skin) may not appear even when the infected person is dangerously unwell. The list below includes many of the warning signs of meningitis but these may appear in any order and some may not appear at all. If you suspect meningitis, don’t waste valuable time waiting for other symptoms and signs to appear. Any delay in treatment severely reduces the likelihood of recovery. Call for medical help straight away. Signs and symptoms of meningitis may include: fever (high temperature); headache; vomiting; diarrhoea; muscle pain; stomach cramps; fever with cold hands and feet; drowsiness or unable to wake; confusion and irritability; pale blotchy skin or a rash; neck stiffness; dislike of bright light (photophobia); convulsions (fits or seizures). In addition to the above, babies may show any of the following: refusing food and vomiting; dislike of being handled; drowsy, floppy or unresponsive; breathing rapidly or grunting; unusual cry or moaning; tense, bulging soft spot (fontanelle). Is there a meningitis vaccine? Whilst vaccinations do not protect from all types of meningitis, vaccinations are available for many of the most common causes of meningitis infection. This means that there is a lot that you can do to protect yourself and your family from many types of meningitis and reduce your risk of severe injury from this life-threatening disease. Vaccinations which protect against meningitis include: MenB vaccine is routinely offered to babies at two, four and 12 months of age. MenB is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK. Hib vaccine for haemophilus influenzae type B (previously one of the most common causes of bacterial meningitis in children) is given to babies at two, three and four months of age. It is usually given together with vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and hepatitis B. MenC vaccine is offered in combination with the Hib vaccine to infants at 12-13 months of age. MenACWY vaccine protects against four of the major types of meningitis. MenACWY vaccine is offered in schools to children around 14 years of age and via a catch-up programme for teenagers and new university entrants up to the age of 25. PCV is a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine which is offered to babies at 12 weeks and 12-13 months of age. It is also available to adults and children who may be at increased risk of pneumococcal disease from other health conditions. Pneumococcal bacteria have over 90 strains, some of which can cause meningitis and septicaemia. The PCV vaccine immunises against 13 strains. In addition, extended vaccinations are sometimes offered to specified groups of people in other circumstances, such as those who could be affected by a close friend or family member’s infection or a local outbreak of meningitis. Compensation for injury and disability caused by delayed treatment of meningitis Signs of meningitis infection must always be taken seriously as any delay in treatment can lead to death or devasting injury. Where someone suffers permanent injury from meningitis as a result of delays in medical diagnosis, admission to hospital or antibiotic treatment, they may be entitled to claim substantial compensation. Boyes Turner’s medical negligence solicitors have helped many clients with brain injury, amputation and other disability from meningitis rebuild their lives by making a meningitis negligence claim. Our clients’ compensation helps pay for care, adapted accommodation, prosthetics, therapies and ongoing medical costs, specialist education, rehabilitation and equipment whilst easing the financial hardship that is often caused by severe disability. Read more about successful meningitis injury claims: £27 million settlement for a child with complex neurological disability from delayed treatment of meningitis as a 7-month-old baby; £6.4 million settlement for a young woman who needed Lisfranc (mid-foot) amputations of both feet after ambulance paramedics failed to take her to hospital for urgent treatment of meningitis; £3.6 million settlement for a child who suffered a brain injury and cerebral palsy as a result of delayed diagnosis and treatment of neonatal meningitis; £3 million settlement in a neonatal brain injury claim for a child after untreated neonatal infection in hospital developed into meningitis causing permanent brain injury; £125,000 settlement for the bereaved family of a nurse who died after delayed GP and hospital treatment of TB meningitis. Read more about meningitis negligence claims. If you or your child have suffered severe injury or disability as a result of negligent delays in diagnosis or treatment of meningitis, or you have been contacted by HSSIB/MNSI or NHS Resolution, you can talk to a solicitor, free and confidentially, for advice about how to respond or make a claim by contacting us.
