Spotting the signs of meningitis earlier can help you to stay safe from its deadly effects. It is a deadly infection that strikes suddenly, so any hint of its telltale signs should be acted upon without delay. It mostly occurs in children under the age of five, but anybody above that age can still contract it.
Its signs involve irritation and contagion of the meninges, which are the fluid membranes that protect the brain and the spinal cord. You should be quick to see a doctor if you notice these signs. Delayed action can be fatal or even cause sudden deaths.
Since your baby cannot be able to tell you whatever irritation they have and where are they are having it, other signs of meningitis such as headaches and stiff necks should help you take immediate action. It is also associated with fever, altered consciousness, confusion, vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia. Phonophobia is the condition where you easily get irritated with loud noise.
When you contract meningitis, you will have a high fever that is usually accompanied by high body temperatures which may go up to 38 degrees Celsius or more. Young children will also experience this. You can feel the fever physically by touching the face. You will notice that it will be abnormally hot. For some people, the face may appear red or flushed.
You will know that infants are suffering from meningitis when their fontanelle bulges. The fontanelle is the soft spot on the heads of the infants. The skin of the infants may also turn into an abnormal color, their limbs may become cold and they may develop pains in the legs. You should deal with these signs as early as possible before they exterminate the infant.
In adults, meningitis causes them to have an acute headache that makes it hard for them to arch their neck forward passively. This is because of the tautness as well as amplified neck muscle tone the disease causes. There may also be cases of sudden increase in fever and alterations in the mental state for both adults and babies. Some people develop hand, foot and mouth disease as well as genital herpes as a result of meningitis.
A person who is suffering from meningitis may become tired and drowsy that they cannot even stay alert. If it is a child, the tiredness becomes progressive, so much so that it may make it difficult for the child to be awoken from sleep.
If you notice any signs of meningitis in your child or yourself, you should pursue medical attention immediately. It is a virus that also has bacteria involved, so it weakens the immune system. To help strengthen the immune system naturally, you should take an un-denatured whey protein diet with cysteine. Ultra pasteurized whey does not have amino acid cysteine which is a very important aspect that helps in boosting your immunity. Though meningitis is vicious, chances of contracting it will be far much less if your immune system is strong.
