Can meningitis cause a rash? Photos and descriptions of such skin rashes

What kind of disease is this?

ATTENTION : Meningitis is a dangerous infectious disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets or through household items. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in preschool children.

Quite often, the pathological process begins with symptoms of nasopharyngitis, and only then vomiting, rash, and headache are added. The rash with meningitis on the first day of illness is very similar to the rash with measles.

Watch a video about the symptoms of meningitis:

Meningococcal infection

The disease is caused by different strains (varieties) of meningococcus. The source of infection of a child can be a sick person or a “healthy” carrier of meningococcus. The number of such carriers for meningococcal infection is very large: for one case of the generalized form of the disease there are from 2 to 4 thousand healthy carriers of this microbe.

The carriers are usually adults, although they do not know about it, and mostly children get sick.

The pathogen lives in the nasopharynx and is released into the external environment when sneezing or talking. The danger increases when inflammation occurs in the nasopharynx. Fortunately, meningococcus is very unstable in environmental conditions: it survives no more than half an hour.

Infection occurs by airborne droplets with very close (at a distance of up to 50 cm) and prolonged contact. The infection has a pronounced winter-spring seasonality with a peak incidence from February to April.

Periodic increases in the incidence rate are recorded after about 10 years, which is associated with a change in the strain of the pathogen and the lack of immunity to it. Both isolated cases of morbidity in children and widespread cases in the form of outbreaks and epidemics are possible. During the period between epidemics, more young children get sick, and during an epidemic, more older children get sick.

Meningococcus is sensitive to antibiotics and sulfonamide drugs.

When a pathogen enters the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, it most often does not cause inflammation: this is how a “healthy” carrier state is formed. But sometimes inflammatory changes occur in the nasopharynx, and a localized form of the disease develops: meningococcal nasopharyngitis.

Much less often (in 5% of cases) the microbe penetrates the blood and spreads to various organs. This is how meningococcal sepsis (meningococcemia) develops.

Severe toxic syndrome occurs as a result of the destruction of meningococci (under the influence of produced antibodies or antibiotics) and the release of a significant amount of endotoxin. This may cause the development of infectious-toxic shock.

In addition to internal organs (lungs, joints, adrenal glands, retina, heart), meningococcus can also affect the central nervous system: the membranes and substance of the brain and spinal cord. In these cases, purulent meningitis (or meningoencephalitis) develops.

After an illness and even as a result of carriage of meningococcus, persistent immunity is developed.

Symptoms

The incubation period can last from 2 to 10 days, usually it is short: 2-3 days.

There are localized and generalized clinical forms of meningococcal infection.

Localized:

• asymptomatic meningococcal carriage;
• meningococcal nasopharyngitis.

Generalized:

• meningococcemia (meningococcal sepsis);
• meningitis (inflammation of the membranes of the brain);
• meningoencephalitis (inflammation of both the membranes and substance of the brain);
• mixed form (a combination of meningococcemia and meningitis).

Rare forms include: meningococcal-induced arthritis, pneumonia, iridocyclitis, endocarditis.

Asymptomatic meningococcal carriage is the most common form of the disease (develops in 99.5% of all infected people). More often observed in adults. The condition does not show any signs and the person is unaware of his infection.

Meningococcal nasopharyngitis develops in 80% of patients with meningococcal infection. It manifests itself with the usual symptoms for an inflammatory process in the nasopharynx: acute onset, sore throat, nasal congestion, dry cough, headache. The temperature may rise within 37.5°C. The general condition and well-being suffer little.

Upon examination, redness in the pharynx and swelling of the mucous membrane, sometimes redness of the conjunctiva, and scanty mucopurulent discharge from the nose are revealed. More often the condition is regarded as a manifestation of an acute respiratory disease. The correct diagnosis is made only at the source of infection when examining contact persons.

The duration of the disease is from 2 to 7 days; ends with recovery. But often (about 30% of cases) this form precedes the subsequent development of a generalized form of infection.

Meningococcemia develops acutely, suddenly. Its manifestations increase very quickly. Parents can indicate the exact time of onset of the illness, not just the date. The temperature rises sharply with chills (up to 40°C), which is difficult to reduce with antipyretic drugs. There is repeated vomiting and severe headache and thirst.

But the main and most characteristic sign of meningococcal sepsis is a rash. It appears already on the first day of illness, less often on the second. The earlier the rash appears from the onset of the disease process, the more severe the course and prognosis of the disease.

More often it is localized on the thighs, legs, lower abdomen, and buttocks. The rash spreads quickly, literally “growing before our eyes.” The appearance of rashes on the face indicates the severity of the process. This is an unfavorable prognostic sign.

The size of the rash can vary: from small pinpoint hemorrhages to large irregular (“star-shaped”) elements of a purplish-bluish color. The rash is a hemorrhage into the skin, it does not disappear with pressure, and is located on a pale background of the skin. Pinpoint rashes last 3-4 days, become pigmented and disappear.

In the center of large elements of the rash, necrosis (death) of tissue may develop after a couple of days. The necrotic surface becomes covered with a crust; after it peels off, ulcers form, which scar very slowly (up to 3 weeks or more).

Necrosis can also occur on the tip of the nose, phalanges of the fingers, and ears with the development of dry gangrene.

Clinical symptoms of meningococcemia can grow very rapidly, especially with the fulminant variant of the disease. Hemorrhage into the conjunctiva or sclera of the eyes may appear even earlier than the skin rash. Other manifestations of hemorrhagic syndrome may also occur: bleeding (nasal, gastric, kidney) and hemorrhages in various organs.

Due to impaired blood supply and metabolic processes due to toxicosis, with meningococcemia, children have symptoms of damage to the kidneys, cardiovascular system, lungs, eyes, liver, and joints. All children experience shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and decreased blood pressure.

When the kidneys are involved in the process, changes appear in the urine (protein, red blood cells and white blood cells). Joint damage is characterized by pain in large joints and swelling, and limited range of motion.

In case of hemorrhage in the adrenal glands, acute adrenal insufficiency develops due to hormone deficiency, which can cause death. This complication, just like acute renal failure, is possible with the fulminant form of meningococcemia (hyperacute sepsis).

Clinically, adrenal insufficiency is manifested by a sharp drop in blood pressure, vomiting, the appearance of bluish spots on the skin against the background of severe pallor, frequent weak pulse, severe shortness of breath and subsequent disturbance of the breathing rhythm, and a drop in temperature below normal. In the absence of qualified assistance, death can occur even within a few hours.

A chronic form of meningococcemia with periodic relapses is extremely rare. It may last for several months.

If the meninges are involved in the pathological process, the child’s condition worsens sharply.

Purulent meningococcal meningitis is also characterized by an acute onset. A sharp diffuse headache appears, small children react to it with the appearance of anxiety and piercing crying. The temperature with chills can rise to 40°C and does not decrease after the child takes antipyretic medications.

The headache intensifies in response to any irritant: loud sound, light, even touch: in young children this manifests itself as a symptom of “repulsion of the mother’s hands.” Intensification of the headache is noted with the slightest movement, when turning the head.

No appetite. Repeated vomiting does not bring relief. It is not related to food intake. Diarrhea may also appear, especially at an early age. The child is pale, lethargic, pulse is rapid, blood pressure is reduced.

Muscle tone is increased. The child's position in bed is typical: lying on his side, “curled up,” with his legs pulled to his stomach and his head thrown back.

In small children, there is bulging, tension and pulsation of the large fontanelle. Sometimes there is a divergence of the seams between the bones of the skull. When a small child becomes dehydrated due to vomiting and loose stools, the fontanelle collapses.

Babies may experience reflex constipation and lack of urination.

Sometimes children experience motor restlessness, but there may also be lethargy, drowsiness and lethargy. In young children, you may notice trembling of the chin and hands, which is manifested by symptoms such as impaired consciousness, mental disorders, motor agitation and convulsions.

Upon examination, the doctor identifies focal symptoms: paresis (or paralysis), pathological changes in the cranial nerves (oculomotor disorders, decreased hearing and vision). In severe cases, when cerebral edema occurs, swallowing, speech, cardiac activity and breathing may be impaired.

In the mixed form, both clinical manifestations of meningitis and symptoms of meningococcemia may predominate.

During the course of the generalized form of the disease, rare forms can also develop: damage to the joints, heart, retina and lungs. But if meningococcus enters the lungs directly with air, then meningococcal pneumonia can develop primarily.

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Diagnostics

During the examination, the doctor assesses the condition of the large fontanel in young children and checks for the presence of meningeal symptoms.

The following methods are used to diagnose meningococcal infection:

• survey of parents and child (if possible by age): allows you to find out the presence of contact with sick people, clarify complaints, the dynamics of the development of the disease and the sequence of symptoms;
• examination of the child by a doctor: assessment of the severity of the condition and identification of a number of clinical signs of the disease (temperature, skin color, rash, meningeal symptoms, condition of the large fontanel in young children, convulsions, etc.);

In the case of generalized forms of the disease, the diagnosis can be made based on clinical manifestations. To confirm the diagnosis, laboratory diagnostic methods are used (it is carried out in a hospital setting after emergency hospitalization of the child):

• clinical examination of blood and urine: in the blood of meningococcal infection there is an increased total number of leukocytes, an increase in the number of band and segmented leukocytes, the absence of eosinophils and an accelerated ESR; Urinalysis allows you to evaluate kidney function;
• clinical examination (bacterioscopy) of a thick drop of blood and cerebrospinal fluid sediment to detect meningococci;
• bacteriological method: culture of mucus from the nasopharynx, culture of cerebrospinal fluid, blood culture to isolate meningococcus and determine its sensitivity to antibiotics;
• a biochemical blood test (coagulogram, liver and kidney complex) allows you to assess the severity of the child’s condition;
• serological blood test (paired sera taken at intervals of 7 days) can detect antibodies to meningococcus and an increase in their titer; a 4-fold increase in titer is diagnostic;

Additional examination methods:

• consultations with a neurologist, ENT doctor and ophthalmologist (fundus examination);
• in some cases, echoencephalography (ultrasound examination of the brain to diagnose complications of the disease) and computed tomography are performed;
• According to indications, ECG and echocardiography may be prescribed.

Treatment

At the slightest suspicion of meningococcal infection, urgent hospitalization is carried out.

At home, it is possible to treat carriers of meningococcus and meningococcal nasopharyngitis (if there are no other children in the family at preschool age).

For the treatment of nasopharyngitis of meningococcal etiology, the following is prescribed:

• antibiotics orally in an age-appropriate dosage;
• gargling with furatsilin solution;

Treatment of generalized forms includes:

• antibacterial therapy;
• hormonal drugs;
• detoxification therapy;
• symptomatic treatment.

In order to influence meningococcus, Penicillin and Levomycetin-succinate are prescribed. The choice of antibiotic, its dosage, and the duration of the course depend on the clinical form of the disease, severity, age and body weight of the child and his other individual characteristics.

When treating meningitis and meningoencephalitis, high doses of antibiotics are used to overcome the blood-brain barrier and create a sufficient concentration of the antibiotic in the brain matter. Penicillin is preferably prescribed.

For meningococcemia, Prednisolone and Levomycetin-succinate are administered at the prehospital stage (in the clinic or by ambulance staff), and not Penicillin, which has a detrimental effect on meningococcus. When the microbe dies, endotoxin is released in large quantities, and infectious-toxic shock can develop. And Levomycetin will only prevent the pathogen from multiplying.

Hormonal drugs (Prednisolone, Hydrocortisone) are used in cases of severe infection in order to suppress the violent reaction of the immune system to the penetration of the pathogen and to maintain blood pressure at the proper level.

In case of developing infectious-toxic shock, treatment is carried out in an intensive care unit.

The following are used as detoxification agents: 10% glucose solution, plasma and plasma substitutes, Ringer's solution, Reopoliglyukin, etc. Plasmapheresis and ultraviolet irradiation of blood can be used.

Symptomatic therapy includes the prescription of anticonvulsants (Sibazon, Relanium, Sodium Oxybutyrate), cardiac drugs (Korglykon, Cordiamin), diuretics (Lasix), vitamins (C, group B), heparin under the control of the blood coagulation system.

To reduce cerebral hypoxia, oxygen therapy and cerebral hypothermia are used (applying an ice pack to the head).

If breathing is impaired, the child is connected to an artificial respiration apparatus.

Prognosis and outcomes of the disease

During the recovery period, weakness and increased intracranial pressure may be noted, which disappear after a few months.

The prognosis is more severe in children under one year of age. In rare cases, they may develop severe consequences in the form of hydrocephalus and epilepsy.

Complications of meningococcal infection are divided into specific and nonspecific. Specific (develops at an early stage of the disease):

• infectious-toxic shock;
• acute cerebral edema;
• bleeding and hemorrhage;
• acute adrenal insufficiency;
• acute heart failure;
• pulmonary edema, etc.

Nonspecific (due to other bacterial flora):

• pneumonia;
• otitis media, etc.

Specific complications are manifestations of the pathological process itself. Any of them can cause the death of a child.

After the illness, residual effects and complications can be detected.

Functional residual effects:

• asthenic syndrome, the manifestation of which at an early age is emotional instability and motor hyperactivity, disinhibition, and at an older age - decreased memory and fatigue;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia during puberty in adolescents.

Organic complications:

• hydrocephalus (increased amount of fluid in the cranial cavity);
• increased intracranial pressure;
• child's lag in psychomotor development;
• decreased or loss of hearing;
• epileptiform (convulsive) syndrome;
• paresis with movement disorders.

Prevention

Preventive measures can be considered:

• early detection and hospitalization of patients;
• measures at the source of infection: identification of carriers of meningococcus and their treatment, 10-day observation of those in contact with the patient and their 2-fold examination (nasopharyngeal swab), admission of contact children to kindergarten only after a negative examination result;
• discharge of a recovered person from the hospital only after a 2-fold negative bacteriological analysis of mucus from the nasopharynx (done 3 days after the course of treatment with an interval of 1 or 2 days);
• limiting contacts;
• during an outbreak of morbidity, exclusion of holding mass events with overcrowding of children;
• treatment of chronic foci of infection;
• hardening;
• vaccination (Meningo A+C vaccine): schoolchildren (if more than 2 cases of meningococcal infection are registered at school) and children before traveling to a region unfavorable for the incidence of this infection. The vaccine can be used in children from 1.5 years of age; immunity is formed by day 10 and lasts for 3-5 years.

Summary

Meningococcal infection is a serious disease, especially for young children. The danger of this infection is not only in the acute period (due to the development of complications and threats to life), but also after recovery (quite serious consequences can remain for life).

Considering the likelihood of a very rapid development of the disease, you should not delay the time to consult a doctor with any disease.

It must be remembered that a spinal puncture (which parents are so afraid of) is a necessary diagnostic procedure that will help the doctor prescribe the correct treatment.

Which doctor should I contact?

If symptoms of inflammation of the nasopharynx appear, you should usually contact a pediatrician, and adults should consult a therapist. If there is a rapid increase in temperature, deterioration of the condition, severe headache and especially the appearance of a skin rash, you should urgently call an ambulance. Treatment is carried out in an infectious diseases hospital.

ANTI-EPIDEMIC MEASURES IN THE SOCIETY OF MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTION

General events. Information about the sick person in the Center for Sensitive Diseases in the form of an Emergency Notification within 12 hours after identifying the patient. Epidemiological examination of the outbreak in order to identify and sanitize carriers and patients with erased forms; determination of the circle of persons subject to mandatory bacteriological examination. Measures regarding the source of the pathogen. Hospitalization of the patient, isolation of carriers.

Discharge from the hospital - with 2 negative bacteriological studies of nasopharyngeal mucus, carried out 3 days after the end of treatment. Measures regarding pathogen transmission factors. Disinfection: daily wet cleaning, ventilation, irradiation with UV rays and bactericidal lamps in the fireplace. Final disinfection is not carried out. Measures regarding contact persons in the outbreak. Medical observation for 10 days from the last visit to the sick team/daily examination of the skin and pharynx with the participation of an ENT doctor, thermometry/. Children, staff of preschool and school institutions, in universities and secondary specialized institutions are subject to bacteriological examination in the 1st year - the entire course where the patient is identified, in senior years - students of the group where the patient or carrier is identified. In kindergartens, biological examinations are carried out 2 times with an interval of 3-7 days. Emergency prevention. Children from 18 months. up to 7 years of age and first-year students, in the first 5 days after contact, active immunization is carried out with a meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine of serogroups A and C. In its absence, normal human immunoglobulin is administered. Previously vaccinated children are not given immunoglobulin.

What does it look like?

With bacterial meningitis, the rash is most often located on the sides and lower extremities of the child. The shape of the rash is irregular, the color can range from red to dark brown, almost purple.

When palpated, it does not rise above the skin. The appearance of rashes on the head is considered especially dangerous. To make sure that the rash is caused by meningitis, you should press and hold it. If she does not turn pale, you should seek immediate medical attention.

• As the disease progresses, sepsis may develop.
• The shape is more like “stars”. With viral meningitis, the rash appears in rare cases; it is not as bright as with a bacterial infection, and can be located on any part of the body, and even on the mucous membranes. Does not have a specific form.

The rash with meningitis does not itch, does not itch, and does not cause any particular discomfort in the child; it cannot be infected by contact. However, it is important to remember that it is not the rashes themselves that are contagious, but the infection that causes them . Therefore, precautions should be taken when examining a child.

Meningitis is highly contagious, and many forms are transmitted through both airborne droplets and contact.

Expert opinion

Zemlyanukhina Tatyana Vyacheslavovna

Ambulance and emergency paramedic at the Clinical Emergency Hospital #7 in Volgograd.

Ask an expert

The disease begins with a small herpetic rash quickly acquiring a large stellate hemorrhagic shape, which most often appears along with hemorrhages in the mucous membrane of the eyes as a result of vascular damage. This symptom may last from two hours to two weeks.

Photo

You can see what a rash with meningitis looks like in these photos:

Vaccines against meningococcal disease

The effectiveness of vaccination against meningococcal infection is almost 90%. The frequency, the need for re-vaccination, as well as age restrictions depend on the characteristics of the vaccine. Today, among the drugs you can find Mencevax ACWY, Menactra, Bexero, domestic ones - meningococcal A, A+C.

In a number of countries, vaccination against meningococcus is mandatory and is recommended by WHO. In Russia, vaccination against this infection is not yet included in the National Vaccination Calendar; budget funds are allocated only for conscripts and to eliminate outbreaks. Therefore, children, who are at the highest risk, today can be protected by vaccination only if their parents take care of it. Whether to build immunity from meningococcus in your child in advance or to believe that trouble will pass by is something that everyone decides individually. But, given the frequent cases of fulminant infection, the high risk of developing serious complications and even death, it is worth thinking about this issue in advance. Indeed, in most cases, parents who were faced with this terrible disaster either did not know about the existence of vaccination, or believed that their child was unlikely to encounter this infection, or postponed vaccination until better times...

"ASKO-MED" invites everyone to be vaccinated against meningococcal infection; the "MENAKTRA" vaccine is available. You can make an appointment for vaccination by phone: 8 800 555 84 09.

How to distinguish a dangerous sign from similar ones?

It is important to remember that not only meningitis is manifested by a skin rash . You need to know how to distinguish a dangerous hemorrhagic rash due to meningitis from rashes due to allergies, chickenpox, rubella and others. Common childhood illnesses that may cause rashes:

1. Chickenpox.
2. Measles.
3. Mononucleosis.
4. Various allergies.
5. Rubella.
6. Scarlet fever.
7. Pyoderma.

• The difference between a meningeal rash and a rash with chickenpox is that with smallpox it is blistered and covers the entire body of the child.
  It is localized without any pattern, and first appears as small red spots that form papules, and then vesicles containing clear liquid. After the vesicles burst, crusts form. With meningitis, the rash is localized in certain parts of the body, has a dark red color, and does not have blisters. With smallpox the rash is itchy and itchy, with meningitis it is not.
• A distinctive feature of the measles rash is a rapid transition from red or purple to dark, almost black. Forms papules, which is not typical for meningeal. With measles, the rash is located on the face. With meningitis, a rash on the face is very rare.
• With a mononucleosis rash, there is no itching or irritation, as with a meningeal rash, but when pressed, the mononucleosis rashes turn pale. The spots are reddish in color and clusters can be located on any part of the body.
• An allergic rash, as a rule, does not cause a general infectious syndrome in the patient. An infectious rash, on the contrary, is accompanied by fever, weakness, and headache. The main difference between an allergic rash and a meningitis rash is itching.

• 
  In children, rubella spots do not merge into a single whole, and the rash appears some time after the onset of the disease. With meningitis, a rash is one of the first symptoms. Rubella is accompanied by a runny nose, sore throat, and other symptoms not characteristic of meningitis.

• Scarlet fever is caused by streptococci, they can also cause meningitis, but with scarlet fever the rash is accompanied by slight itching and is often localized in the groin area or armpits. The rash is pinpoint and can cover any skin folds, face, thighs. The rash with meningitis does not itch and looks more like stars.
• With pyoderma, formations spread throughout the body in the form of blisters with pus, then they dry out and turn yellow.

How does meningococcal infection manifest?

Symptoms depend on the form of infection; When carried, the bacterium can only be detected using laboratory analysis, since there are no external signs. In other cases, symptoms may be as follows:

• acute nasopharyngitis – headache, runny nose or nasal congestion, weakness, increased body temperature;
• meningitis - a sharp increase in temperature, severe pain in the head, vomiting, pulling the legs towards the stomach, the inability to lower the neck and others characteristic of this disease;
• blood poisoning - a sharp increase in temperature, headache, confusion, muscle aches, rashes of varying sizes (most often on the lower part of the body);
• meningoenephalitis - symptoms similar to meningitis, various rashes on the skin and/or mucous membranes

A story from life! Muscovite Yana Savchenko’s 5-year-old daughter died of meningitis in January 2021. Mom and daughter were returning home by train. The girl’s temperature quickly rose to 41˚, her throat turned red, and her body took on the “coping dog” pose (with her legs pressed to her stomach). Upon arrival in Moscow, the child was immediately taken to the infectious diseases hospital, but after some time she died. Everything happened within 24 hours.

There is a test for mengococcal rash. You need to press the side of the glass against the rash-covered skin. It is important that you see the rash through the walls of the glass. If the rash is not visible when pressed, it is not meningococcal.

ATTENTION! Due to the high risk of serious complications and even death, at the slightest suspicion of meningococcal infection, you should immediately consult a doctor! Diagnosis is carried out by laboratory examination!

First aid

Since a hemorrhagic rash occurs when blood capillaries rupture, the first action upon detection should be to limit the child’s mobility and maintain bed rest until the doctor arrives.

Important! If a rash and symptoms similar to meningitis appear, you should immediately call an ambulance and take the patient to the hospital.

Only a doctor, after a general examination and examination of tests, can make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Meningitis is not only a severe illness for the patient himself, but also dangerous for others .

Treatment

If rash manifestations lead to the development of a hyperthermic state, severe pain, then urgent hospitalization and medical attention are required. If no adequate action is taken in the near future, the consequences can be very dire.

When treating meningeal infection, antibiotic therapy is prescribed. Using antibiotics, it is possible to stop the pathogenic microflora that led to the development of the disease. After hospitalization, the patient is placed in the inpatient department of the hospital. Further treatment is as follows :

1. The doctor prescribes bed rest with a gentle diet for the patient.
2. Antibacterial drugs. Prescribed drugs with low, medium and increased permeability. The most effective include: Amoxicillin, Cefuroxime, Ketoconazole, Clindamycin. The dosage is determined individually. But the duration of therapy should not be longer than 7-10 days, as addiction occurs.

3. 
   In addition to antibacterial therapy, antiviral drugs are prescribed.

4. The combination of desensitizing therapy with anti-inflammatory therapy will alleviate the patient’s condition and relieve unpleasant symptoms.

The therapeutic course for any age category will be at least 10 days. If there are complicated forms, the duration of treatment may increase. As soon as the patient is discharged from the hospital, he should prepare for long-term home treatment. For some patients with meningococcal pathology, recovery requires 1 year. Read more about emergency care and nursing care for meningitis in this article.

There is a vaccine against meningitis . It can prevent the development of this dangerous disease. Vaccination is required in places where there is a regular outbreak of the disease.

TIP : When a skin rash is accompanied by a high fever and severe headache, you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. This condition means that life is counted by the clock.

Who is at risk and how to prevent infection

Prevention of meningococcal infection can be nonspecific, it includes the following measures:

• isolation of identified carriers and sick people;
• preventing a recovered person from joining the team for 10 days after discharge;
• monitoring persons who have been in contact with sick people;
• teaching children basic hygiene rules;
• avoiding crowded places;
• increasing immunity by all available methods.

However, the most effective specific prevention is vaccination.

Meningococcal infection can affect anyone. The only exceptions are those who have been vaccinated.

However, doctors identify categories of people for whom the pathogen poses a particular danger. So, who should definitely get vaccinated against meningococcal infection:

• conscripts into the army (funds are allocated from the budgets of the regions sending guys to serve);
• travelers, especially to 26 meningitis belt countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria , Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan;
• pilgrims (since May 2001, vaccination with a quadrivalent (A+C+W135+Y) vaccine is mandatory for the Hajj to Saudi Arabia);
• persons with risk of contacts in outbreaks, i.e. according to epidemiological indications;
• children and teenagers before joining new groups (kindergarten, camp, school, boarding school, etc.) - paid for at the expense of CARING parents;
• medical workers.

Are hemorrhagic rashes dangerous with this disease?

Complicated variants of the pathological process are often diagnosed. Inflammation occurring in the meninges almost always goes away. But if treatment was started at the wrong time or the disease is severe, then this is fraught with the following complications :

• delay in the mental development of the child;
• mental defeat;
• development of a paresis, paralyzed state;
• blindness or strabismus;
• limitation of auditory perception;
• the patient becomes asthenic, inhibited, his memory decreases and he lacks attention.

If you suddenly find such a rash against the background of a high temperature, especially if new elements of the rash appear one by one in a matter of minutes, call an ambulance URGENTLY. Infectious disease doctor E.S. Nekrasova 21st city clinic, Minsk.

Meningitis is a rather dangerous disease. When an infectious process damages the brain, the functioning of many systems throughout the human body is disrupted. If treatment is not started in time, the consequences can be extremely unfavorable. The most dangerous complication remains the death of the patient.

What complications may there be?

As mentioned above, if meningococcal infection is detected late, there is a high probability of death. However, even if treatment was prescribed on time, often the disease does not go away harmlessly. The consequences can lead to a variety of complications, ranging from hearing loss, vision and speech disorders, to amputation of limbs, paralysis, epilepsy and hydrocephalus. And here is another video (video by our partners - Sanofi Pasteur) with a girl who, at the age of 5, suffered a meningococcal infection and was left deaf for the rest of her life: