NOTES
Overview: 1805- Meningococcal was first known when an outbreak occurred in Geneva, Switzerland; 12 subtypes of meningitis have been identified, 4 subtypes can cause epidemics
Disease Transmission: Bacteria are transmitted from person to person (no animals) through respiratory droplets or throat secretions (ex: kissing, coughing, sneezing, and sharing close quarters, drinks, and utensils).
Diagnosis: examinations of bacteria in spinal fluid
Treatment: antibiotics include penicillin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and ceftriaxone. In Africa oily chloramphenicol is the drug of choice in areas with limited health facilities because a single dose of this long-acting formulation has been shown to be effective.
Who is affected and where?: Cases increase in winter and spring in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. United States: popular amongst college students (dorm rooms), high school students, and adolescents
The African Meningitis Belt: Sub-Saharan Africa (Senegal-Ethiopia), 300 million people; dry climates with wind cause respiratory track infections and overcrowded housing increase symptoms for meningitis. In 1996 Africa experienced the largest meningococcal meningitis epidemic with 250,000 cases and 25,000 deaths. Most affected countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, and Niger.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/index.html
Now Here's What I Really Think: For this project I think that it would be interesting to compare the effects of meningococcal meningitis from its epidemics in Africa to its popularity in the United States. One thing that I noticed that they both had in common were that the disease spreads when people are close in contact with eachother (dorm rooms in the US and housing in Africa), and this is how many people become affected. Also one thing that I found very interseting was that in Africa the oily chloramphenicol is used to treat people because of its long term effects. What exactly is this drug and how does it work? Does it prolong the human life and does it work to help cure the disease? I think it is interesting that this drug is given to people in Africa and I am really interested in how it really works. I want to research more in what is being done to prevent this disease and I think that because it occurs almost everywhere, how the environment plays a role in contracting the disease. There are 12 subtype groups of meningitis and I would like to understand why the different types occur in different areas and what are the major differences between them. Penicillin is the drug that we would be studying and so I would want to see how it treats bacterial diseases. While researching I realized how serious this disease actually is and if you don't see a doctor right away, it could be fatal.
If this doesn't make you want to get a Meningitis vaccination...I don't know what will.
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=42829
P.S. Samara's Blog makes me laugh, I only wish I could be as honest as her and Miles brown template makes me smile. :)
1 comment:
This is a good start, Raya. Did you find all of that information from the same website? What other sources have you looked at? You have some excellent questions already, so I look forward to seeing what answers you come up with as you broaden your research.
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