Meningitis Virus Vaccine

Meningitis is actually a derivative of Meningococcal disease. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, it is a bacterial infection that occurs as either an inflammation of the outer coverings of the brain and spinal cord, or as a severe blood infection.

It does not require sexual contact to pass from one person to another. In fact, infants under one are the most likely group to die from the disease, and while its said that kids today are having sex younger and younger, its clear all are open game to meningitis with a special emphasis on groups that have low immune systems like babies, the HIV positive, and “John Travolta as the Boy in the Plastic Bubble”.

In fact, the most common methods of transfer of the infection couldn’t be less sexual: kissing the lips of another person (even your Mom); other direct contact with saliva such as the very rude sneezing or coughing in another person’s face; and sharing (notwithstanding what our primary school teachers told us about sharing being good) items that have been in another person’s mouth or throat. This includes such innocuous items as a beverage glass, a cigarette, a pipe, one of those crazy curly straws, cups, spoons, and, of course, drug paraphernalia from pot pipes to rolled up $20 bills used to snort coke.

Early signs of meningitis infection, when they occur at all, include flu like symptoms such as fever, headache, neck ache, and rash. Unfortunately, by the time you begin to physically show these symptoms of the disease, it’s already done some of its nastiest work and has significantly reduced your chances of survival. The sobering reality is that one out of every ten individuals who gets meningitis dies from meningitis.

It is becoming more and more common practice for college freshmen to be inoculated for meningitis before leaving for college as it is a common disease on college campuses. Therefore, certainly, with a disease as aggressive as this, knowledge of the vaccine deserves a place on everyone’s checklist.