Meningococcal Alert-What you should know!!

As a parent Meningococcal is somethin that scares the daylights out of me.

so i decided toread up about it and thought i will let all you mums know what it is.

Meningococcal infection occurs more commonly in winter and early spring, it is difficult to recognise and advances at an alarming rate.

so what is it? this is what i found out!

Meningococcal infection is a bacterial infection that can cause death in matter of hours, if not recongnised and treated in time.the bacterium infects the bloodstream or the meninges, a thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord. in australia it is classed as a rare disease,affecting about 700 people each year. although most recover fully about 10 percent of those infected will die. one of the reasons this disease is hard to identify is that it can appear in several different forms, deppending on which part of the body the bateria invade.

how does it spread.?

predominately nose to nose, so activities such as coughing and sneezing help to spread this disease.

SYMTOMS IN BABIES MAY INCLUDE:

• FEVER
• FEVER WITH COLD HANDS AND FEET
• VOMITING
• DIARRHOEA
• PALE OR BLOTCHY SKIN
• POOR FEEDING
• BLANK STARRING EXPRESSIONS
• DISLIKES OF BEING HANDLED
• FRETFUL OR IRRITABLE
• FLOPPY OR LETHARGIC
• DIFFICULT TO WAKE
• ARCHING OF THE BODY/NECK
• PINK RED OR PURPLE RASH.

AFTER READING THIS I THOUGHT HOW DO I KNOW IF MY BABY HAS MENINGOCOCCAL RASH?

It could start of as a faint pink rash or as red or purple dots. in the final,critical,stage the rash will spread rapidly into purple bruises, which cover the whole body. a simple test can help distinguish an ordinary viral rash from the deadly spticcemia rash.

get an ordinary drinking glass and press it onto the skin.

if there is any bleeding into the skin,the rash just shows the same detail-it dosent go white-so we see a non blanching rash.a non blanching rash is the one you get with meningococcal infection, from about 8 hours into the illness. if your in doubt,do the glass test after which if your still in doubt go see your doctor urgentlly.

is there anythink i can do to reduce the risk of this infection?

this infection is spread by saliva so parents can help prevent it by making sure good hygene practices are followed. tobacco smoke damages the nasal passages and makes it easier for bugs to get a foothold.so smoking around kids and exposing them to the smoke from wood fires and things to try and avoid or reduce doing.

it take about a week of treatment in hospital to recover.most get better very quickly.