Meningitis… knowing A from B

Meningitis A, B and C… What exactly is the difference? It’s vital to know which type of germ you’re dealing with because meningococcal meningitis can have various causes. In fact we know of 5 serogroups: A, B, C, W 135 and Y.

The largest epidemics are generally caused by groups A and C, for which vaccines exist. There is also a vaccine available against the A, C, W 135 and Y groups as a whole, but there is no vaccine to prevent meningococcal meningitis B. This is the germ usually associated with sporadic cases of the disease that are not epidemic in nature, although it can also lead to outbreaks and flare-ups of the disease.

Pneumococcal meningitis mainly affects infants under the age of 2. In fact it is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in this age group. This bacteria is found naturally in the throats of very young children. All it takes is for a child to develop tonsillitis or an ear or throat infection for the pneumococcus germ to multiply, pass into the blood and cause inflammation of the meninges. This condition is fatal in 8% of cases but can be prevented by a vaccine.

When an epidemic occurs it generally spreads very rapidly, reaching a peak within the space of a few weeks. However, without vaccination, epidemics can last for months, and in the case of an epidemic caused by serogroups A or C, a mass vaccination campaign must be carried out to stop it in its tracks. Sometimes only those who have been in direct contact with infected individuals are treated with antibiotics, but that isn’t an effective way of halting transmission when there is an epidemic.