Meningococcal disease is relatively frequent, but rarely severe disease – Meningitis or Sepsis. This can be life-threatening. Detect and quick Action are called for.
Approximately one in ten adults carries the bacteria In the nose and throat. As long as the immune system is strong, and the Vaccination of Childhood is you don’t get sick. But, when the infection breaks out: Woe to weakness, damage to the brain, hearing loss, learning this can be a sequelae of meningococcal infection.
Due to the infection, an inflammation of the brain, as Meningitis can be triggered, or a Sepsis, a blood poisoning. Then the Doctors need to amputate limbs. Approximately one fifth of Patients have such serious consequences occur. About ten percent of meningococcal infections are even fatal.
More: Meningitis: The swine flu in Africa
Not to underestimate
The first symptoms are usually nonspecific. They often resemble a flu or a flu-like infection. Then a high fever, and sensitivity are added to light and neck stiffness. It can also lead to hemorrhages on the skin. These usually start on the legs. For physicians, it is not easy to diagnose such an infection.
Meningococcal settle in our throat and nasal cavity. The incubation period is between three and four days, in individual cases, but also between two and ten days.
Through coughing, Sneezing, or shaking hands can transmit meningococci from an infected human through droplet infection to others. Even Kissing can happen. The carriers are infectious and can give the bacteria more, even if you are not ill themselves.
Different Types
Meningococcal disease occur in different groups: A, B, C, W and Y. These five so-called Serogroups are the most common causes of diseases. The serogroup “B is diagnosed” with 66 per cent the most, followed by group “C” with 19 percent. Then Y “with nine percent, and” W “with six per cent”.
Two-thirds of the cases, the disease runs as Meningitis, which is in Germany compulsorily notifiable. A third of it comes to a dangerous blood infection, Sepsis. At about ten to fifteen percent of it is a life-threatening Form of septic shock. It is, among other things, to hemorrhages in the adrenal glands.
Learn more: Sepsis – a life unrecognized and often dangerous
Babies and small children are particularly at risk of Contracting meningococcal
Before it is too late
In Germany, vaccination against meningococcal B vaccinations to the Standing Committee on vaccination (STIKO) recommended standard. Meningitis C and the rarer types A, W and Y have not been in the Impfkatalog included, and only a few kids are vaccinated against it.
Since it is caught frequently children, it is important to vaccinate and protect you from a possible infection and complications. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to meningococcal infection. Your immune system is not as robust as that of an adult. An infection can develop within a few hours.
About 300 cases of meningococcal infections there are per year in Germany, the disease is so relatively rare. But it is important not to take the disease lightly, because in the worst case, and if not treated as quickly as possible, can this bacterial infection is fatal. The intensive care medicine can no longer help. In the case of suspected Meningitis immediately to the doctor.
More: hundreds of Dead due to Meningitis epidemic in Nigeria
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Warning, it is contagious!Beautiful, but dangerous
Especially for small children and the elderly flu viruses are dangerous. With the naked eye you can’t see it. But you realize quickly when you are: fever, chills, body aches, headache and cough. The viruses consist of not much more than a protein shell and a small genome strand.
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Warning, it is contagious!No Banality
A possible flu pandemic makes the people afraid. Because they can be dangerous. In the case of the Spanish flu (1918-1920) killed more than 25 million people. Including many 20-Year to 40. Many died of pneumonia. Here, too, the flu, the H1N1 virus was to blame.
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Warning, it is contagious!What helps?
In the case of a virus, the doctor will fight the flu usually only the symptoms of: cough syrup and prescribe analgesics, antipyretic agents, or ensure that the Patient can sleep. For severe cases, however, there are antiviral drugs: they inhibit the replication of the Virus in the body.
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Warning, it is contagious!Tricky Vaccine Production
Against the flu can get vaccinated. However, the influenza virus changes by Mutation very quickly. Each year, therefore, developed a new vaccine under strictly sterile conditions. It consists of inactivated virus of the three strains of virus that are in the year, particularly common particles.
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Warning, it is contagious!Influenza virus from chicken embryos
Some vaccine manufacturers to multiply the influenza virus in fertilized chicken eggs. Because flu viruses also birds attacked the incubated hen’s egg is used as a primitive bird rate. One gets the virus for the vaccine from the developing chicken embryo. A hen’s egg is sufficient for a single Dose.
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Warning, it is contagious!Swine flu
Influenza viruses also infect pigs and cause them respiratory problems. Also, the Virus subtype H1N1. It infests many species of mammals, including humans. In 2009 there was a pandemic a swine flu virus.
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Warning, it is contagious!Panic – not only in Hong Kong
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Warning, it is contagious!Threat Of Bird Flu
Flu viruses can also infect birds. Veterinarians speak then of avian influenza, but this is only another word for bird flu. Basically, each Influenza A Virus strain bird can trigger the flu, he needs to adapt only to birds as a host. The best-known types of H5N1, H7N9 and H5N8. The types H5N1 and H7N9 can be transmitted under certain circumstances, to the people.
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Warning, it is contagious!And finally,
Hands the best prevention against the flu virus is to wash. First of all, you should not touch with unwashed fingers to the eyes and nose – so you can get that easily with pathogens.