Meningococcal meningitis is not a commonly discussed illness – with 800 to 1200 cases a year, it’s not widely spread and not on the rise. However, though easily resembling a common cold, it’s a deadly kind of bacteria that can take a life or maim within 24 hours. The new “Get in the Game” campaign from Voices of Meningitis spearheaded by the National Association of School Nurses involves meningitis survivors and popular athletes to spread the word on the prevention and protection against meningococcal meningitis with vaccination. I spoke with 12-time Olympic medal swimmer and mom Dara Torres and the President of National Association of School Nurses, Beth Mattey, MSN, RN, to get the facts straight on what parents should know.
Who’s most at risk?
While the disease is spread similar to a common cold or flu – via saliva – it grows in the nasal passages very quickly and will cause serious damage, often death.
“The kids that are most at risk are preteens, adolescents and young adults – between the ages of 16 and 21”, says Beth Mattey, RN.
Olympic swimmer Dara Torres who has two 13-year-old stepkids and a 7-year old daughter got involved with the campaign because she learned about meningitis through them and then talked to her healthcare provider. Dara is familiar with the effects of meningitis – back when she was in college, one of the student athletes contracted meningitis, and since it was caught early, she was fine, but they got quarantine and antibiotics, yet never learned about meningitis in detail. On a recent visit to her daughter’s pediatrician, Torres started to ask about it, since she knows it’s important to get a vaccine at 11 and a boosted at 16. All 3 of the Torres kids play sports and she says you’re more prone to getting exposure to meningitis when you have cramped locker rooms, you share water bottles, saliva. That’s why the campaign is especially targeting kids in sports, since close proximity to others at risk makes them more susceptible to illness.
“I want to be more proactive about it and get the word out, so parents can understand what meningitis is and how simple it is to not get this disease.”
Parents try so hard to get the best classes, coaches, teams and equipment but often forget about the health risks involved, says Dara.
Another risk factor, says Beth Mattey, is that teens are so busy with school, extracurriculars and athletics and that they are often not eating right and not getting enough sleep, running their bodies down, making their systems weaker and more prone to getting sick.
What are the Symptoms of meningitis?
Meningococcal meningitis grows in the nose and throat, so it can be spread by sharing utensils, cups, coughing, sneezing, similar to a cold or flu. The bacteria cause the inflammation of the spinal cord and brain. You get sick very quickly, and may be dead within 24 hours. But since these bacteria mimic a cold or flu, meningitis is often hard to diagnose. “People may not realize how sick they are”, says Beth Mattey. Symptoms include stiff neck, headache, rash, high fever – and kids may get all or some of those symptoms, but the disease progresses too quickly. And the diagnosis can be confirmed with a spinal tap. Vaccine is the best prevention, but if meningitis is caught early enough, it can be treated with antibiotics. For some kids getting to the emergency room may be too late. What happens is the body is too overwhelmed to fight it and as the body fights, the bacteria get stronger, it’s a cascading effect. Side effects can be serious – 20% end up with serious effects – brain damage, kidney damage, amputation, deafness. And vaccine is the best prevention.
“Meningitis can start off as a fever or rash but within 24 hours you can lose your life”, says Dara Torres who’d heard a lot of stories from survivors who lost limbs, “All you have to do is vaccination and your risk level is reduced.”
It is devastating for parents to see young lives taken or ruined just because they’ve not been vaccinated or got a booster. Often when you join the team, you must have a sports physical – and this is a great question to pose to your pediatrician. Dara Torres works with school nurses to get this message across, and everyone can learn more on the Facebook page at facebook.com/VoicesofMeningitis. Thankfully, more colleges are making it mandatory for admission to have a meningitis vaccination.
Dara Torres told me about the women she met working on the “Get in the Game” campaign. She talked with a mixture of sadness and awe about two of them – one a division one basketball player and the other a student at UT-Austin. Having contracted meningitis, their blood got infected, which led to amputations. One of them was in the hospital for 6 months. “Your heart breaks when you hear their stories but they are so strong and they are trying to get the word out on how important this vaccination is.”
See the PSA.
How can you prevent Meningitis?
These deadly bacteria are preventable with a few simple steps. Start with good hygiene – being consistent about washing hands and not sharing bottles or utensils. But vaccine, which was first offered in 2005, is what will protect you best: the first shot is recommended at 11 years old – and since the potency is about 5 years, the CDC strongly recommends a booster shot at 16. “That will take them 5 years until the time when they become at risk for meningococcal meningitis and then booster will take them through the early college years when they’re most at risk”, says Beth Mattey,
“The vaccine is the best prevention that we have against meningococcal meningitis.”
Why a booster shot after 5 years? Immunity to meningitis drops after 5 years, and this is a new finding, which is why the CDC is now recommending the booster shot at 16 years old – and that is very important to take the kids through that period (16-21) when they are most at risk.
The natural question for me is if schools require the shot and you’ll be surprised to hear that some states require it at the college level while others don’t. Majority of legislation (see laws by state) relates to schools/colleges providing information on the nature and spread of meningitis, though some states make vaccination a requirement at public schools/colleges. However, it still is on the list of pediatrician recommended vaccinations for adolescents. The problem is, says Beth Mattey, that if your kids are going to pediatricians regularly, the pediatrician will know it’s on the recommended list of vaccines and they should get the vaccine. However, when they get to be adolescents, they might not be going to the pediatrician like they were going when they were younger, and they may not get the information that they need the booster, or even the vaccine in the first place.
Dara Torres said her 13-year old stepkids got vaccinated at 11 and she is learning more, so she is prepared when her 7-year old daughter gets older, since getting vaccinated is so simple. Torres says that doctors don’t often bring up the subject of vaccination for meningitis, so parents have to be proactive and get the facts and know when to get the vaccine and when to get the booster.
Facebook page of Voices of Meningitis has a lot of facts on the disease, survivors stories and healthy living advice. So get educated, get vaccinated, get healthy. Get in the game!
