Meningitis

Meningitis

//The common and scientific name of the disease//
Meningitis/Neisseria //meningitis//

//What causes it?//
Meningitis is a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes over the spinal cord and the brain. Inflammation is a protective response made by the organisms to remove the injurious stimuli inside the body and let the body start healing. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.



//What are the symptoms? How long do they it last? Is it deadly?//
The symptoms of meningitis can be muscle and joint pain, vomiting, nausea, fever, stiff neck, and headache. These symptoms can always look like some other more common illness. They usually last for around 7 to 10 days, after that the patient recovers immediately. However meningitis can be deadly if not treated properly.

//Can it be cured? If so, how? If not, is there any way that we can at least treat it?//
//Meningitis can only be treated, and it is very important for treatment to be started early during the course of the disease. Antibiotic treatment can reduce the risk of dying from this disease to 15%, and the risk of dying is higher among the elderly.//

//Bibliography://
Health Doctorsurvey. "Health Doctoralsurvey » 2011 » February." Health Doctoralsurvey. http://www.doctoralsurvey.com/ Pulsus group. "Meningitis." National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804524/ "CDC - Meningitis: Questions and Answers." //Centers for Disease Control and Prevention//. N.p., 29 Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Aug. 2011. 

By Michael Chow 9.2