Meningitis refers to those diseases which, unlike viral hepatitis or HIV infection, are extremely difficult to get directly from person to person. A person, an animal, and an insect, which is a carrier of some of the viruses that can potentially cause inflammation of the meninges, can act as a source of infection. Direct contact meningitis can develop only in one case: when it is caused by a bacterium, namely meningococcus. Let's see how meningitis is transmitted in each case
What causes the disease?
It can occur when it enters the brain:
1) virus;
2) bacteria;
3) mushroom;
4) unicellular pathogen;
5) mixed infection.
In order to affect the meninges, this microorganism must have a specific structure, strong aggressiveness or get to a person in such an amount that will allow him to pass through all the protective barriers surrounding the brain. In addition, in order for the disease to develop, the human body must be either weakened, or its immune system is not sufficiently developed (which is why babies get sick more often than adults). Meningitis is more likely to develop in someone who has a pathology of the blood supply to the brain, has suffered hypoxia during childbirth, or a stroke at any age.
How do these pathogens enter the lining of the brain?
The virus can get:
- airborne droplets;
- through the use of common toys;
- with the use of unboiled water, dairy or other products;
- with kisses - when a person is sick with SARS (a provoked virus that can cause meningitis); he began an exacerbation of herpes; he suffers from mononucleosis or chicken pox;
- through bites of insects or ticks.
It would seem, the question: "Serous meningitis - how is it transmitted?" exhausted. But there is one “but”: in fact, it is very difficult to get viral inflammation of the membranes of the brain in contact with a patient with such a diagnosis. That is, if someone from your family had contact with a child, a man or a woman who (who) was admitted to the hospital a few days later with a diagnosis of Serous Meningitis of Viral Origin, then you have a great chance that such a viral disease will develop, but NOT meningitis. A child talking to another child in the kindergarten who has developed measles meningitis has a great chance of getting measles and a very small one with measles meningitis.
Outbreaks of viral meningitis are often associated not with the contacts of people in a close team or family, but with the consumption of food (this is most often unboiled water or milk) in which the active virus lives.
How is bacterial meningitis transmitted?
Purulent meningitis can be "caught" if it is not enough, wrong, or not to treat such diseases caused by bacteria such as otitis media, sinusitis, rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia, sepsis. This disease also occurs with a penetrating wound of the cranial cavity or spinal canal. These are secondary meningitis, which developed as complications that occur in adults in almost 90% of cases of purulent meningitis.
The only meningitis that is really transmitted by airborne droplets is meningococcal. This disease can be transmitted precisely as meningitis from a patient with meningitis (not like for a viral reason: one suffers from viral diarrhea - the second receives meningitis from him). This disease is primary, more often children suffer from it, since they have a less mature immune system. When one of the children is infected with a meningococcal infection, an infectious outbreak may occur; there are frequent cases when all children in the family become infected with this disease.
How is a disease caused by meningococcus transmitted?
Meningitis is transmitted by airborne droplets. The source of infection can be a child or an adult who:
- this bacterium is located in the nasopharynx, while it does not bother anything and does not consider itself to be sick, generously "distributing" the bacterium to small distances (that is, with close contact);
- meningococcal nasopharyngitis (symptoms: low body temperature, pain, sore throat or discomfort, mucopurulent discharge from the nose);
- generalized form of meningococcal infection: meningitis or meningococcemia; a rash that is dark in color and does not disappear when pressed with glass is not an obligatory symptom of this disease.
The bacterium is transmitted by airborne droplets at close distances, quickly dies in the air. Often infected with her are children in a closed team (kindergarten or school) or children in the family.
How is fungal meningitis transmitted?
This type of meningitis is not contagious. It occurs mainly in those who have big problems with immunity (congenital, acquired, HIV infection) or blood diseases. Less commonly, it can be "acquired" after chemo- or radiation therapy.
What to do if you are afraid of contracting meningitis?
- Get vaccinated against meningococcus and pneumococcus before the child goes to kindergarten. In addition, routine vaccinations protect against viral meningitis.
- Observe basic hygiene rules, as well as conduct sufficient heat treatment of products.
- Do not communicate with feverish, coughing and sneezing people (no matter what kind of relatives they are) without a gauze or disposable mask; to accustom to this child.
- If you are worried about discomfort in the throat or a “slight” runny nose, while the discharge is yellow, contact an ENT and an infectious disease specialist about excluding the meningococcal nature of this disease.
- Strengthen immunity by hardening, a healthy lifestyle.
- It is planned to drink multivitamins in the off-season, try to eat more vegetables and fruits grown in our area.
- Follow doctor's instructions for a particular disease.
Now you know how meningitis is transmitted. Be mindful of your health.