Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the swelling. It is potentially a deadly disease that can kill the patient in a matter of hours or cause lifelong disability. Injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections also can cause meningitis.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), meningitis continues to be a major global public health issue causing up to 5 million cases each year, including epidemics of new strains that spread between countries and across the world.
Meningitis is of several type, it include bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, fungal meningitis, parasitic meningitis and amebic meningitis. It is important to know the specific cause of meningitis because the treatment differs depending on the cause.
Meningitis can strike everyone and at all ages – it can be fatal within a few hours and cause lifelong disability. Meningitis is one of the leading causes of neurological disability, which can last a lifetime
Meningitis symptoms:
Symptoms of meningitis can include: stiff neck; fever; sensitivity to light; confusion and drowsiness; headaches; vomiting; rash; seizures;
In infants: They may have a bulging fontanelle (soft spot) and droopy and unresponsiveness
World Meningitis Day: Date
Earlier, the World Meningitis Day was celebrated on April 24 every year but in 2022, after the 27th World Health Assembly approved the first ever resolution on meningitis prevention and control and the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map, the celebration date was changed to October 5 to allow more people to participate.
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World Meningitis Day: History
Hippocrates (c.460 to 370 B.C.), the father of modern medicine, was first to notice what could have been meningitis when he noticed inflammation of the brain’s lining. Thomas Willis (1621 to 1675), was first to report individuals with “inflammation of the meninges with a constant fever” in 1661.
The first ever world conference of meningitis organisations was held in 2004. The conference led to the creation of the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO). Under the umbrella of CoMo, the World Meningitis Day started in 2009. The World Meningitis Day campaign has been coordinated by CoMO every year since 2009.
“The World Health Organization’s Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030 will improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment, disease monitoring, health advocacy, and support and aftercare, saving up to 200,000 lives annually and significantly reducing disabilities caused by meningitis. Countries worldwide have committed to the vision of better prevention, diagnosis, treatment, disease monitoring, health advocacy, and support and aftercare. With collective global action we can make this our reality by 2030,” wrote Confederation of Meningitis Organisations on their official website.
World Meningitis Day: Significance
Celebrating Meningitis Day helps in creating awareness about the disease. Common people get to know about the disease and its death rate. The day provides us an opportunity to raise money for treatment of meningitis patients. On this day, different health organisations get together to explore ways by which it can be prevented.
Celebrating this day not only encourages people to not neglect their health conditions and take regular yearly checkups but also creates a sense of care and affection for the patients and how they go through different phases.
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