What can you teach a patient with meningitis?

If you have viral meningitis, resting in bed, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking medicine to reduce fever and headache can help you feel better. You may need to go to the hospital for I.V.

What are the precautions for meningitis?

Meningococcal meningitis patients should be placed on droplet precautions (private room, mask for all entering the room) until they have completed 24 hours of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Negative pressure ventilation is not required. Patients with pneumococcal or viral meningitis do not require isolation.

How do you explain meningitis to a patient?

Meningitis is the medical term for inflammation of the tissues (meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation is most commonly caused by a virus or a bacterium, which travels from an infection in another part of the body through the bloodstream to the meninges.

What education do you provide on the prevention of meningitis?

Patients and parents of young children should be educated about the benefits of vaccination in preventing meningitis. Vaccination against N meningitidis is recommended for all US college students.

What team members will be important in the care of a child with meningitis?

Your meningitis treatment team will probably include registered nurses. These professionals have usually graduated from college nursing programs, passed state board exams, and been licensed by the state. The registered nurses on the meningitis team will probably have experience caring for acutely ill patients.

Can aseptic meningitis recur?

Recurrent benign lymphocytic meningitis is a recurring, typically innocuous, painful form of aseptic meningitis. This syndrome is associated with transient neurological symptoms in one-half of afflicted patients.

What does a meningitis headache feel like?

A headache caused by meningitis is typically described as severe and unrelenting. It does not subside by taking an aspirin. Stiff neck. This symptom most commonly involves a reduced ability to flex the neck forward, also called nuchal rigidity.

How can meningitis be prevented in children?

Routine immunization can go a long way toward preventing meningitis. The Hib, measles, mumps, polio, and pneumococcal vaccines can protect against meningitis caused by those germs. Kids also should get the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) when they’re 11 or 12 years old, with a booster shot at age 16.

What happens if you don’t seek treatment for aseptic meningitis?

In rare cases, aseptic meningitis can lead to brain infections. Complications are more likely to occur if you don’t seek treatment for your condition. They may also arise if you have an underlying condition that weakens your immune system. How can aseptic meningitis be prevented?

Which is more common bacterial or aseptic meningitis?

The condition is called aseptic meningitis when not caused by bacteria. Viruses cause most aseptic meningitis cases, which is why the condition is also known as viral meningitis. Aseptic meningitis is more common than bacterial meningitis. But its symptoms are usually less severe. Serious complications are rare.

How is meningitis transmitted from person to person?

Viral, or aseptic, meningitis is usually caused by enteroviruses—common viruses that enter the body through the mouth and travel to the brain and surrounding tissues where they multiply. Enteroviruses are present in mucus, saliva, and feces, and can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person or an infected object or surface.

How are advanc’es used to treat bacterial meningitis?

Advanc`es in vaccination have reduced the incidence of bacterial meningitis; however, it remains a significant disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality, making its timely diagnosis and treatment an important concern. 1