Prevention
Prevention is better than cure. This is especially true in meningitis; the disease is fatal in a very short time. For this, the WHO does its best to spread the vaccines for bacterial meningitis because it is the most lethal and very common worldwide.
There are three types of the vaccine in the case of bacterial meningitis:
- Meningococcal vaccine effective against Neisseria meningitis
- Pneumococcal vaccines effective against S. pneumonia
- Hib vaccines effective against Hib
These vaccines do not work against all of the strains; this is why you can still get bacterial meningitis even if you are fully vaccinated. Nevertheless, this chance is low compared to non-vaccinated individuals.
Pregnant females take antibiotics against group B streptococcus if they are positive during pregnancy.
Pregnant females should be aware of eating certain types of foods to avoid infection by listeria.
There are vaccines against many viruses that may cause viral meningitis like mumps, measles, and influenza.
There are no specific precautions against other types of meningitis, but you can generally protect yourself by:
- Avoid close contact with any sick patient
- Stay clean and hygienic
- Take appropriate precautions when swimming in warm water
- Eat healthy food
- Take care of your immune system
- Make sure to visit the doctor if you have any concerns about the state of your body
