MOSSEL BAY NEWS - According to Elzaan Moelich, spokesperson for Life Bay View Hospital, there has been a slight increase in meningitis cases at the hospital, while the spokesperson for Western Cape Government Health, Nadia Ferreira, reports that no cases were reported at the Mossel Bay provincial hospital.
Moelich confirmed that the sister responsible for infection coHtrol had said there had been slightly more cases of meningitis than usual, but they were viral and not the bacterial - more dangerous - kind.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the tissue that covers the spinal cord and brain. Viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis.
The most are non-polio intercourse, according to an information leaflet made available by Life Bay View hospital, are non-polio enteroviruses. There are other causes of viral meningitis, such as herpes viruses, measles and mumps, to name but a few. Enteroviral meningitis is usually less severe than bacterial meningitis and the other viral causes of meningitis.
Who is at risk
People of all ages are at risk, however, the risk of getting the disease, the leaflet states, is higher in individuals who are immune compromised and children younger than five years old.
Signs and symptoms
Common symptoms of enteroviral meningitis in children include fever, poor eating, irritability, lack of energy, and sleepiness.
Adults may suffer a high fever, stiff neck, headache, dislike of bright lights, lethargy, sleepiness, and a lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Diarrhoea and abdominal pain is a more common presentation of enterovirus infection. Muscle pains and joint aches, sore throats and rash have also been reported.
Very rarely, enteroviral meningitis has been associated with acute flaccid paralysis.
Prevention
In general good hygiene practices, including hand washing after using the toilet, changing nappies or visiting sick people, and disinfection of surfaces will reduce the chances of getting an enteroviral infection.
Covering your cough or sneeze and washing your hands thereafter is also helpful.
More information
More information on the diagnosis and testing for meningitis may be obtained from your local health care practitioners, or call the NICD outbreak hotline (082 883 9920).
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