Sadly, news of 16 year-old Queensbury football player Jonathan Vasiliou’s passing from what is believed to be bacterial meningitis will have many families who may have come in contact with Vasiliou on edge. At this point, according to our news story on TimesUnion.com, “the school is recommending that every varsity, junior varsity and freshman football player receive a dose of ciprofloxacin, a synthetic antibiotic used to treat a variety of serious infections. Players’ parents can pick up the drug free of charge at Glens Falls Hospital.”
Kids of all ages can get meningitis and it can be easily spread amongst those who have come in close contact with the infected person — placing young teens, college students and athletes at a higher risk.
According to kidshealth.org, “Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Most cases are caused by bacteria or viruses, but some can be due to certain medications or illnesses. Many of the bacteria and viruses that cause meningitis are fairly common and associated with other routine illnesses. Bacteria and viruses that infect the skin, urinary system, gastrointestinal or respiratory tract can spread by the bloodstream to the meninges through cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that circulates in and around the spinal cord.”
“In some cases of bacterial meningitis, the bacteria spread to the meninges from a severe head trauma or a severe local infection, such as a serious ear infection (otitis media) or nasal sinus infection (sinusitis). Depending on the cause of the infection, meningitis can resolve on its own in a couple of weeks — or it can be a life-threatening emergency.”
There are two forms of meningitis and it can only be determined by a fluid test from your doctor. Viral meningitis can often improve without treatment in days. Bacterial meningitis is serious and can go from being treatable to fatal quickly.
Meningitis can be spread from nose and throat secretions — like coughing, sneezing, and kissing — but, meningitis is not considered to be highly contagious. Casual contact or breathing in the air with a person with meningitis normally does not expose you to meningitis.
Acute meningitis usually develops from an invasion of bacterial and/or viral germs from the surfaces lining the nose, throat, sinus cavities, and middle ear space into the bloodstream. It can also result from head injuries, penetrating wounds, or neurologic surgeries.
Here are a few things to watch out for from mayoclinic.com:
Warning signs: (Most can be easily confused with the flu)
- High fever
- Severe headache that isn’t easily confused with other types of headache
- Stiff neck
- Vomiting or nausea with headache
- Confusion or difficulty concentrating — in the very young, this may appear as inability to maintain eye contact
- Sleepiness or difficulty waking up
- Sensitivity to light
- Lack of interest in drinking and eating
- Skin rash in some cases, such as in viral or meningococcal meningitis
Go to the doctor if you or someone in the family has any of these symptoms:
- Severe, unrelenting headache
- Stiff neck
Here is an article on the difference between the flu and meningitis
If you’ve had meningitis before share your experience here to help others make the diagnosis