Meningococcal disease

Uncommon card · No. 168477

Meningococcal disease is a serious, vaccine-preventable infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, a gram-negative diplococcus bacterium also known as meningococcus. Meningococcal disease presents as life-threatening and rapidly progressive meningitis (infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), meningococcal septicemia (infection of the bloodstream), or a combination of both. Initial symptoms are flu-like and generally nonspecific, including fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, and neurological symptoms including photophobia and confusion. A purple non-blanching rash may also be present. As infection progresses, septic shock eventually leads to gangrene and organ failure. Left untreated, meningococcal disease has an 80% mortality rate. With proper treatment, the mortality rate drops to 4–20%, with roughly 20% of survivors experiencing long-term complications including brain damage, blindness, deafness, and amputation. Neisseria meningitidis...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Pam Cleverley, Perry Bisman, http://babycharlotte.co.nz, CC BY-SA 3.0