Help fight meningitis by understanding the real threat
Meningococcal disease shouldn’t be dismissed just because it’s uncommon. After all, once symptoms appear, the disease can progress quickly. And if that happens, it may be too late to stop its potentially devastating consequences.1
Time After Onset of Symptoms2,*
0-8 hours:
Headache, sore throat/coryza, thirst, general aches, fever
9-12 hours:
Decreased appetite, nausea/vomiting, leg pain, irritability
13-20 hours:
Rash, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, neck stiffness, cold hands and feet, photophobia, abnormal skin color
21†-24 hours:
Confusion/delirium, unconsciousness, seizure‡, death
Hypothetical case in an individual 15-16 years of age.
Hours expressed as medians.
Median time from onset of symptoms to first consultation with personal physician was 19 hours; median time between onset and hospitalization was 22 hours.2
Seizure was noted at a median of 26 hours.
Data were obtained from parents of test subjects via questionnaire (n=313) or interview with a study investigator (n=135). Parents were asked at what time of day their child’s symptoms began, as well as the time of appearance of predefined clinical features. Additional data were obtained from medical records for the course of illness before admission to the hospital in 448 children (≤16 years of age) with meningococcal disease (345 nonfatal cases; 103 fatal). Diagnosis was confirmed with microbiologic techniques in 83% of cases (n=373). The remainder of the children (n=75) were probable cases.2
10%-15%
Of those who contract meningococcal disease, approximately 10% to 15% die from complications related to the disease, despite appropriate treatment.3
24hrs
The symptoms of meningococcal disease progress rapidly and can potentially lead to death, sometimes in as few as 24 hours.1,2
ZERO
identified risk factors
Most people who contract meningococcal disease are healthy with zero identified risk factors.1
5%-10%
are asymptomatic carriers
A small proportion of the population are asymptomatic carriers of Neisseria meningitidis, the bacterium that causes meningococcal disease.3
Up to 20%
suffer permanent consequences
Among survivors of meningococcal disease, up to 20% experience permanent consequences, including seizures and other cognitive deficits, loss of limbs, kidney damage, hearing loss, and skin scarring.1,3,4-6
Vaccination may not protect all recipients.
References
- Pelton SI. Meningococcal disease awareness: clinical and epidemiological factors affecting prevention and management in adolescents. J Adsolesc Health. 2010;46:S9-S15.
- Thompson MJ, Ninis N, Perera R, et al. Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease in children and adolescents. Lancet. 2006;367(9508):397-403.
- McNamara LA, Blain A. Meningococcal disease. In: Roush SW, Baldy LM, eds. Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Updated January 5, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt08-mening.html
- Meningococcal disease: clinical information. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated February 7, 2022. Accessed January 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/clinical-info.html
- Slack R, Hawkins KC, Gilhooley L, Addison GM, Lewis MA, Webb NJ. Long-term outcome of meningococcal sepsis-associated acute renal failure. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2005;6(4):477-479.
- Vyse A, Anonychuk A, Jäkel A, et al. The burden and impact of severe and long-term sequelae of meningococcal disease. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2013;11(6):597-604.