Prevention of Meningitis

Prevention of meningitis starts with good hygiene as it is an important means of preventing any infection. Many of the bacteria and viruses that are responsible for meningitis are fairly common. 

You should always encourage your family members to wash their hands thoroughly before eating and after using the bathroom.  Avoiding close contact with someone who is ill and not sharing food, drinks, or eating utensils can help halt the spread of germs as well.

At this point in time there is no single vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis. There are however a wide range of vaccines that protect against various forms of the disease.

New vaccines are also available that are highly effective against Hib meningitis, most cases of Pneumococcal Meningitis, and Meningococcal bacteria type C which causes one form of Meningococcal Meningitis.

Hib was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5 years of age before its vaccines were introduced.  These Hib vaccines include ActHIB, HibTITTER, and PedvaxHIB, and all may be given simultaneously with other vaccines.  Hib vaccination should be performed at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, followed by a single booster dose at 12-15 months.

For example, the menomune vaccine is recommended for college freshman living in residential halls on campus.  The menomune vaccine is a polysaccharide vaccine which is effective against Meningococcal bacteria types A, B, C, W135 and Y, but does not protect against type B of this bacteria.

The prevnar vaccine protects against 7 out of the 80 most common strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae that are in neonates and infants.  Those 7 are accountable for 86% of pneumococcal infections in infants.   Vaccination with prevnar should be performed at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, followed by a single booster dose at 12-15 months.

The Pneumovax vaccine is a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine which is given to adults over 65 years old who suffer from sickle cell disease, HIV infection, or another conditions.  Most healthy adults who receive this vaccine are protected from this form of within 2-3 weeks.

If you or your child has had contact with someone who has meningitis (for example, in a child-care centre or a college dorm), then seek professional medical advice and take appropriate preventive medication and start treatment immediately.

Please consutl your doctor for undertanding th correct methods of prevention of meningitis.