Linked Life Data

8625860

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/8625860

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1996-6-21
pubmed:abstractText
Meningococcal meningitis has been recognised as serious problem for almost 200 years. In Africa the disease occurs in epidemics periodically during the hot and dry weather in the "meningitis belt" and in east Africa, which is outside this belt the epidemics tend to occur during the cold and dry months. The infection is mainly transmitted from person to person by nasopharyngeal carriers in crowded places like refugee camps and army barracks. The rural/urban migration, the basic structural conditions of housing in squatter settlements and slums together with an overcrowded transport system have also contributed to the transmission of meningococcal meningitis. The earlier treatment of meningococcal meningitis was by the way of repeated CSF drainage. The first important advance in the treatment was intrathecal injection of antimeningococcal serum. A major break through in the treatment was the introduction of sulphonamides which was the preferred treatment until emergence of resistance to sulphonamides in mid 1960's. Penicillin remains the drug of choice currently. Mass immunisation of selected communities using polyvalent A and C polysaccharide vaccine is a useful control measure. Chemoprophylaxis is generally not recommended during epidemics. Given the current population densities and rural/urban migration together with financial constraints, future epidemic in Kenya may be more explosive unless strict surveillance programmes are maintained.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0012-835X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
73
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
35-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2005-11-16
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Meningococcal meningitis.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review