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Overview
Meningitis is inflammation
of the membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Although the
most common causes are infection (bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic), chemical
agents and even tumor cells may cause meningitis. Meningitis
can produce a wide range of symptoms including fever, headache or confusion and
in extreme cases, deafness, brain damage, stroke, seizures or even death. Encephalitis
and brain abscess can complicate infective meningitis. Features Bacterial
meningitis calls for emergency medical care and the administration of antibiotics.
Close contacts of patients with bacterial meningitis may receive prophylactic
antibiotics, such as rifampin. Definitive diagnosis can be made by laboratory
tests of cerebrospinal fluid obtained by a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). Twenty
to thirty percent of children who survive bacterial meningitis sustain permanent
neurological damage such as deafness, mental retardation, or convulsions. Since
the late 1980s, routine vaccination of young children against Hib has virtually
eliminated Hib disease in the United States. Routine
vaccination against meningococcal meningitis is recommended for pre-adolescents,
and vaccination is also recommended for persons in the military or traveling to
parts of Africa where the disease is endemic. The meningococcal vaccine does not
provide protection against all meningococcus strains
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