Newswise — Hearing bacterial meningitis mentioned on the evening news can strike fear in any parent, especially if their child is in a high risk setting such as a high school or college dorm. Although rare, this illness can be life threatening, and is particularly alarming because it appears suddenly and can progress rapidly even in healthy children and teenagers. New vaccines have helped lower the incidence of bacterial meningitis significantly in the past decade, but it's still important to know the symptoms that should raise concern, especially if meningitis occurs in your community or child's school. Rick Malley, MD, associate in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital Boston, says it is important to emphasize that children may not display all of the signs and symptoms. Malley adds, "It's important that a patient shows up at the hospital quickly or it may be too late in the game." Although there is no way a parent can definitively tell if a child has bacterial meningitis, Malley says, "Parents are generally pretty aware of when their child is sick and in need of medical care."
Rick Malley, M.D., specializes in bacterial infections, pediatric infectious diseases, and travel and geographic medicine.
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