What is an approx. number of people that have been infected with bacterial meningitis?

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I need an estimation of people that have been infected or killed by THE BACTERIAL MENINGITIS. Not the viral infection. Please help!
I really need a graph of the data that shows time vs. deaths/infections but any answer will do
Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.
Bacterial meningitis is most commonly caused by one of three types of bacteria: Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
The bacteria are spread by direct close contact with the discharges from the nose or throat of an infected person.
Bacterial meningitis can be treated with antibiotics.
Prevention depends on use of vaccines, rapid diagnosis, and prompt treatment of close personal contacts.

In the United States, bacterial meningitis is relatively rare and usually occurs in isolated cases. Clusters of more than a few cases are uncommon.

In parts of Africa, widespread epidemics of meningococcal meningitis occur regularly. In 1996, the biggest wave of meningococcal meningitis outbreaks ever recorded hit West Africa. An estimated 250,000 cases and 25,000 deaths in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and other countries paralyzed medical care systems and exhausted vaccine supplies.


How common is meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis is uncommon in the UK. However, it is a serious illness and well known due to the media coverage when outbreaks occur. About 4 in 100,000 people in the UK have bacterial meningitis each year. Two types of bacteria cause most cases in the UK. These are Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Other bacterial causes are rare in the UK. Anyone can be affected. However, children under five years, and teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 are the most at risk from meningococcal meningitis.

Viral meningitis is more common than bacterial meningitis, but exact figures are not known. It is a complication of various viral illnesses. Viral meningitis is usually less serious than a bacterial cause. Most affected people make a full recovery (but not all).
I hope this answe your question  (+ info)

My cousin just got diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, could i get it?

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My cousin just got diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, i have hung out with her twice in the past week, and also with her infant son. Is there possibly anyway that i could get it?. She did not sneeze or cough on me or anything but i just wanted to make sure. Ive also had a headache everyday for the past week or two, but no fever or any other symptoms.
You need to find out what type of bacteria your cousin's meningitis has been diagnoses with and you (and everyone else she's been in close contact with) need to be checked out. A daily headache warrants checking into anyway. Please take care of yourself and good luck to your cousin on her recovery also.
You may want to check out this site for more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial/faqs.htm#contagious  (+ info)

What is the metabolism of bacterial meningitis?

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What is the metabolism of bacterial meningitis, I no that metabolism mean Physical in chemical process in an organism
metabolism of the causative pathogen
Meningitis is an infection. Could you possibly mean the pathophysiology of the infection or did you mean the metabolism of the causative pathogen?  (+ info)

Does anybody know why bacterial meningitis is considered contagious and viral meningitis is not?

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I understand that some of the viruses that can cause meningitis are very common and very contagious, but they don't usually get access to the spinal cord or meninges unless there is immunosuppression or trauma. Are the bacteria more likely to get in, those places, or do we consider them contagious just because they do more damage?
  (+ info)

does the meningitis shot protect you against the bacterial form?

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I'm scared, I'm shaking, i got the shot when i was 11, I'm 16 now, my parents told me you only have to get the shot once.

But, does the vaccine protect against bacterial meningitis? Should i get it again?

I'm scared I'll get it and not realize the symptoms fast enough and die, and i don't want to leave all the wonderful memories with my parents behind
yes, along with tetanus

you couldn't go to 6th grade if you didn't get it
i still haven't kissed anyone and gone a date, i'd rather do art =)
You probably had the Menactra vaccine, which protects against meningococcal meningitis. This *is* a type of bacterial meningitis that can affect older kids, teens, and young adults. There are other types of bacterial meningitis (HIB and Pneumococcal are the other most common ones) but they are less likely in older kids and adults, and most likely you had the HIB vaccine when you were a baby. There are also a few other forms of bacterial meningitis (like E. Coli) that we don't have vaccines for yet.

So the vaccine you had does not protect against ALL types of bacterial meningitis, but does protect against the most common bacterial meningitis, and this type of meningitis is *still* very rare. Please don't worry about it, you had the vaccine, just be safe and responsible!  (+ info)

What the the symptoms of bacterial meningitis?

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My co-worker, my friend and I have all had a head ache for 3 to 4 days and low grade fever. I had no neck stiffness until today.
My niece is 2 years old and she now has a low grade fever.

None of us are vomiting.

My sister heard that this is going around and the symptoms are fever (I am assuming very high), headache and neck stiffness.
It has been about 4 days for the rest of us.

Should we go to the hospital? I think we just all have a flu.
The onset of meningitis is usually sudden and is characterized by severe headache, stiffness of the neck, irritability, malaise (crummy feeling) and restlessness. After this nausea, vomiting, delirium and disorientation develop quickly. Temperature, pulse and respirations increase. Bacterial menigitis must be treated promptly to prevent permanent neurological damage or death. Your symptoms can be attributed to flu but stay on the safe side and get your advice from a licensed physician instead of Yahoo! Answers.  (+ info)

Is the viral or bacterial disease, Meningitis, transmitted sexually?

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I've seen in commercials that adolescents should ask a doctor for ways to prevent Meningitis...but i want to know ways it can spread and how can you prevent it, if there are ways to prevent it.
sharing foods and drinks, sharing eating utensils, kissing, sharing smokes, etc.

There are a few vaccinations available for different types of meningitis.  (+ info)

how to check long term complications from bacterial meningitis for 6 yr old just recovered from it in feb, 0?

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my 6 yr old just got treatment for bacterial meningitis in india, feb 09. hospitalized for 3 weeks, got many different antibiotics( ended up with UTI, and pyronephritis). He is here in usa now and how can i check if his system is ok now, or he does not have any long term complications from thoes antibiotics. please advise.
If he's eating and drinking ok, behaving and engaging normally, and moving normally, and the bowels/bladder are working then that is a reassuring sign.

If you can get in touch with a pediatrician, they would know what's best. He'll likely need a bit of followup by a medical professional to make sure he's ok. Try also to get a hold of his medical records from india to forward on to doctors here so they have an idea of what bug/what treatment/what happened.

All the best  (+ info)

How many people have bacterial meningitis living dormant in their throat?

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I've heard something like 2 in 10. Is that correct?
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What is the difference between bacterial and viral meningitis?

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missoliviahu,
Meningitis is an illness in which there is inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord. Viral or "aseptic" meningitis, which is the most common type, is caused by an infection with one of several types of viruses. It often remains undiagnosed because its symptoms can be similar to those of the common flu. Bacterial meningitis is rare, but is usually serious and can be life-threatening if it is not treated right away. It is most commonly caused by one of three types of bacteria: Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. The bacteria are spread by direct close contact with the discharges from the nose or throat of an infected person. Bacterial meningitis can be treated with antibiotics. Prevention depends on use of vaccines, rapid diagnosis, and prompt treatment of close personal contacts. Meningitis can also be caused by infections with several types of bacteria or fungi. There are up to 4,000 people hospitalised in the UK due to viral meningitis each year.
I add a link with details of this subject

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk /
articles/article.aspx?articleId=245#

Hope this helps
matador 89  (+ info)

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