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As if we needed another health scare, the city DOH was a buzz yesterday with talk of four meningitis-related deaths in Brooklyn over the past three months. The culprit, a strain of the bacteria meningococcus, is very treatable with antibiotics if caught early, and apparently doesn't discriminate, having put a high school freshman in the hospital and killing Professor X, a black nationalist rapper.
The meninges are layers of soft tissue that cover the brain and can become infected, leading to meningitis (West Nile Disease, another popularized illness, is an encephalitis - infection of the brain itself). Meningitis is classically a disease of college dorms and military barracks, where close contact leads to infection. So should you be freaked out? Yes. But not about this. While meningitis is very contagious with close contact, these four cases seem to be linked to several people with a history of shared drug use. But do consider seeking attention if you develop the following classic symptoms (listed in likelihood of you actually having meningitis). By the way, hypochondriacs, headache does not equal meningitis:
· Photophobia - Eye pain caused by light (The nerves to your eyes are covered by meninges).
· Neck stiffness - From inflammation of the meninges around your spinal cord.
· Headache - Because your brain hurts when it's infected.
· Nausea and vomiting - Because you vomit from raised pressure in your head.
· Fever - Because you get a fever when you're sick.
And for the truly paranoid, there's a meningococcus vaccine.
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The vaccine is NOT for the truly paranoid - if you're in college and live in a dorm situation, you should get the vaccine. NYU requires that all its students now are informed of the disease and that they either get vaccinated or sign something that says they choose not to get vaccinated.
Meningitis is a terrible disease. You can die within a few hours of having the fever and vomiting symptoms. Yes, it's treatable with antibiotics but many people with these symptoms brush them off as the flu.
In 1999 (I'm sure there have been more recent numbers reports, but I searched for the Dartmouth case because I knew someone who was there at that time) 83 cases -- six of them fatal -- were been reported at academic institutions, including Dartmouth and Muhlenberg Colleges; Eastern Illinois and Lehigh Universities; and the Universities of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin at Madison.
Nice nod to Cypress Hill and "Insane in the Brain"
"Meningitis is classically a disease of college dorms and military barracks, where close contact leads to infection."
You mean like riding the cramped and painfully slow MTA subway system?
Exactly, CJ, and it's spread through mucous/snot/saliva, so you could get it on the train.
I got vaccinated for that shit a few years ago and am glad I did. It's a horrible way to die.
Sorry to post again, but I just have to say that I think it is somewhat irresponsible for Gothamist to post that vaccines for this disease are for the "truly paranoid". While the disease is rare, it is an infectious disease spread just like strep, measles, mumps, etc. While getting measles, mumps, rubella, etc is pretty rare as well, we all get vaccinated for them. Spending $75 on a meningitis vaccine (and some depts. of state give free vaccines when there is an outbreak) is not being "truly paranoid", it is protecting your health, especially if you are in a situation where you are living in proximity to many.
In terms of bacterial meningitis (there is also viral meningitis), antibiotics must be given as soon as the disease is suspected in order to stop the bacteria from travelling to the brain. That's why people die - antibiotics aren't a sure fix as the article implies because it's hard to catch it right away.
'..just have to say that I think it is somewhat irresponsible for Gothamist to post that vaccines for this disease are for the "truly paranoid"'
I'm sure by truly paranoid he ment most paranoid people end up taking them when they dont really need to.
No, he's just trying to be a snappy writer (with poor results). Again, what is with these health posts. Do they have to have a health and medicine section on gothamist? Jen and Jake seem to do a good job on their own.
I had VIRAL meningitis in my second year of college about three years ago and it was horrible and painful experience.
And worst is when they do a lumbar puncture(after being cat scanned) into your spine to gather fluid to see whether it's viral or the deadly bacterial.
Bacterial meningitis worst sympton is Septicemia(blood poisoning)and that is I assume what kills most people. Reason is because it spreads fast and you have only a short amount of time before you head into a coma.
I am glad I got the menomune vaccine after that!