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AIBU?

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Original poster

Reassure me about bacterial meningitis

112 replies

Kiddiewinks2008 · 17/02/2016 19:53

Having read about that poor little girl Sad in the news plus now Matt Dawsons son too, am having a bit of a freak out about it. Should I be considering the vaccinations for my DCs aged 4&8?
Is it very rare? Realised that I don't know enough about it at all. Can i do anything to minimise risk of getting it?
Aibu to be worried but it seems to be in the media a lot

OP posts:
lougle · 18/02/2016 10:13

sugar21 I'm so sorry your DD died. It is an awful disease. I'm not a doctor, but work closely with them, so I'll thank you for your support anyway.

Backingvocals · 18/02/2016 10:19

What awful stories - sugar and landrover I'm so sorry.

I know little about this but just to repeat what I heard on the radio this morning - an infectious diseases consultant was explaining that although they have information about the safety of the vaccine, they don't know a great deal about the effectiveness of the vaccine so they are waiting for the data from the existing roll-out of the vaccine to assess its effectiveness. Not in order to decide whether to pull it or not but in order to evaluate the best way to roll it out further.

I got the impression that some vaccines are slightly less effective on an individual basis but also rely on the creation of herd immunity so takeup levels are important whereas others are highly effective on the individual so there is a different requirement for takeup in order for the programme to be effective. Something like that anyway. Sorry if I've misinterpreted but it wasn't as simple as this being "rationed" to babies although obviously cost is always a consideration.

sugar21 · 18/02/2016 10:25

What cost a life

Funinthesun15 · 18/02/2016 10:31

What cost a life

Couldn't agree more.

Sugar. On behalf of my family thank you for doing this.

I have also forwarded the link to my DNephew. All his friends have now also signed.

sugar21 · 18/02/2016 10:32

Thank you

BoyGirlBoy3 · 18/02/2016 10:47

Can I just say that there are many different causes of meningitis, and having the injection, will not remove the requirement to remain vigilant to:-

High temp 40C or higher,
Stiff neck
Dislike of bright lights
Excessive drowsiness/altered mental state
Rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass.
Cold hands/feet with warm body
Severe headache

I personally find a high quality thermometer reassuring, although yesterday on a different thread mothers said they had heard of meningitis with normal temperatures, that would possibly be rarer, than an already rare event, of contracting meningitis. Therefore when your infant/child is ill, if they are free from the symptoms listed above, taking their temperature can be a guide to the severity of the infection they are suffering.

Funinthesun15 · 18/02/2016 11:08

Too add to what BoyGirlBoy3 has said.

Please look for any of those symptoms.

My DNephew did not have the rash at any point, yet this is the one thing that people tend to always look for.

bumbleymummy · 18/02/2016 11:08

BoyGirl, unfortunately the temperature can't really give you an idea of the severity of the infection. Some children can be seriously ill with low grade fevers while others can be ok with temperatures over 40. The important part is how they are in themselves - are they eating, drinking, talking etc. A drowsy/unresponsive child with a low grade fever is much more concerning than a child with a high fever that is able to chat away to you. It's why doctors tell you not to place too much importance on the numbers on the thermometer and look at the child themselves.

bumbleymummy · 18/02/2016 11:20

Should also say that with sepsis you can have a very low temperature.

lougle · 18/02/2016 11:31

Yes, the problem is any variation of temperature from normal. Cold hands and feet indicate that the body has shifted the blood supply from the periphery to the central organs because it is struggling to keep them working.

sugar21 · 18/02/2016 11:32

I think the clammy cold hands and feet and f!oppyness + being unresponsive are key factors. Daisy had all these but the thing that raised my alarm bells was a dry nappy and high temp Daisy did not have a rash until she was near the end

landrover · 18/02/2016 11:56

Hi all, thankyou for your messages. My daughter was ill over several days. Gp sent her home with high temp saying it was a virus. The next day we took her to A and E who were so concerned that they sent her by ambulance to a major hospital who had paediatricians available. Despite this and a temp that was 105, the doctor there said that it was the end of a virus and sent us home. The next day I was still concerned so rang them, the nurse I spoke to said keep her cool but don't come in till after lunch as there was no consultants around. We took her back and waited a long time to be seen, eventually it was decided to admit her, which then took another hour or so. She was eventually given antibiotics but, 5 or 6 hours later had a massive fit where she became brain damaged. We were sent to Alder Hey on life support but all too late by then and she died a week later. No rash but high temp, cold hands and feet, drowsy.

bumbleymummy · 18/02/2016 12:06

Landrover, that is so sad that she was seen so many times. All those missed opportunities when you were doing everything right :(

We can only do so much as parents and we have to trust the doctors to pick up on anything that's 'serious'. It's so hard. I think with so many cases being in the news now doctors will be being much more cautious so hopefully fewer cases will be missed.

I did read that there has been great progress in the development of new diagnostic tests that can identify meningitis and the strain it is much faster. I really hope we see them soon.

Meeep · 18/02/2016 12:12

Can I ask something?

DD gets icy cold hands and feet every time she has a high temperature 39/40 plus.
I thought it was quite a normal aspect of having a high temperature?

I'm so sorry to those of you who have lost people to meningitis. Flowers

landrover · 18/02/2016 12:57

All I can share with everybody is to use your instincts, sadly doctors find it very easy to dismiss an illness that they don't know the cause of as a "virus". Particularly when the patient cannot tell you anything as they are too young. We are all now being told to look out for the warning signs, nobody tells us how to get the doctors to believe you!

lougle · 18/02/2016 13:45

Landrover, your story is heartbreaking. Sadly, I expect those involved would say that despite the outcome, their judgement would have been the same - it is so hard to identify a critically ill child before they're critical.

Meeep you're right - a frequent symptom of fever is cold hands and feet. The difficulty is that how high a fever is doesn't correlate with how ill a child is. A critically ill child with meningitis could have a fever of 38.5c and a cold with a mild vital ear infection could have a temperature of 40.3c.

sugar21 · 18/02/2016 14:07

I would second landrovers advice
Go with your instincts.
I waited to see the GP with Daisy because she didn't have a rash I thought she had the flu but GP said he thought it was MenB and said do you want an ambulance or can you get to hospital quicker yourself. I opted for the latter and wished I hadn't as I got stuck in traffic
Got to hospital around 5 and Daisy died at 3.42 am. It was so quick I don't know why. Death certificate says Men B and sepsis

Worriedlisa · 18/02/2016 14:40

But don't children have this jab as a baby and the mmr? Sorry I'm just confused

sugar21 · 18/02/2016 15:06

worriedlisa The MenB vaccination only started last year, so babies born before May last year will not have had it

Worriedlisa · 18/02/2016 16:35

Oh I didn't realise, I was confusing men C.
I am so sorry for your loss and am now looking into private immunisations for my children.

mathanxiety · 18/02/2016 23:22

If you are genuinely concerned that your child has meningitis, ask doctors to do a spinal tap. This remains the only way to properly diagnose it. I had one way back in 1976 in Dublin.

I am a bit puzzled that an expert is talking about trying to figure out whether vaccines are effective. They have been standard in the US for many years now and surely there is a lot of data available from there on effectiveness and how to roll it out in Britain.

Neveradullm0ment · 19/02/2016 08:55

So the private immunisations have run out? I have two DCS - nearly 3 and 7. It does worry me, I will sign that petition. I'm more worried about them getting it when/if they go away to study at 18, because they won't be at home. Sugar and landrover- bless you xxx

alreadytaken · 19/02/2016 09:25

I've signed the petition because I don't believe this should depend on whether you can afford to pay - but if I had a toddler I'd pay.

Having said that I do think it's important to keep the risk in perspective, especially for those who can't afford to pay. There are very few deaths and some of those not preventable by the vaccine as it doesn't cover all strains Also as babies and teenagers are vaccinated the transmission of the disease reduces so less risk for everyone. Moreover the number of bacterial cases is higher in winter and will be reducing soon, although viral meningitis is more common in summer months.

Be alert, be aware and sign this petition too petition.parliament.uk/petitions/121152

to put pressure on the government to ensure that doctors are there when we need them

bumbleymummy · 19/02/2016 09:35

This is a new vaccine Math.

FatalFemme · 19/02/2016 09:42

My DS is 14 months, so just missed out on the NHS vaccine. The boots website says their vaccine is only available to 2yrs+. Does anyone know if it's possible to get him vaccinated or will I have to wait til he's 2?

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