Meningitis kills 11 in three days in the Ivory Coast

 Posted by on February 10, 2012  2 Responses »
Feb 102012
 
Meningitis kills 11 in three days in the Ivory Coast

Meningitis doesn’t play around, it maims, debilitates and kills very fast. In just 3 days in February a meningitis outbreak in the Ivory Coast has killed 11 people, as reported by Examiner.com. A vaccine costs about $5 which is too much for many families to afford, thus forcing them to skip it. This tragedy highlights the importance of the work of organizations such as GAVI and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who work at making vaccines available to poor people in developing countries. According to Examiner.com: “The symptoms of bacterial meningitis are sudden, with fever, stiff neck, body aches ———->FULL ARTICLE

Meningitis and measles kill 41 in Nigeria

 Posted by on May 23, 2011  1 Response »
May 232011
 

Meningitis and measles have killed 41 people in Yobe State, Nigeria in the past 18 months. In 2010, 322 cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis were recorded with 22 fatalities. This year, through May, another 51 cases and 4 more deaths were reported, for a total toll of 26 deaths. Measles caused 7 deaths out of 464 cases in 2010, whereas in the current year it caused 3,022 cases and 8 deaths so far, for a total of 15 measles deaths. Officials with state health departments have procured drugs on measles, meningitis and other diseases and that they had already been distributed ———->FULL ARTICLE

Vaccine-preventable diseases wreaking havoc in Chad

 Posted by on May 6, 2011  1 Response »
May 062011
 

Tragic news are coming out of Chad; vaccine-preventable diseases are taking many lives and causing immense pain and suffering. Since the beginning of the year outbreaks of meningitis, measles, polio and cholera have been recorded. Here’s a recap of the various outbreaks that have befallen the people of Chad. Meningitis Since the beginning of the year, 4,960 meningitis cases have been reported, and  227 people have died. Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) is lending a helping hand and has set up temporary centers to take care of the meningitis patients. MSF has been distributing antibiotic drugs to local ———->FULL ARTICLE

Vaccine Preventable Death – Saleem Akintoye

 Posted by on April 12, 2011  2 Responses »
Apr 122011
 
Vaccine Preventable Death - Saleem Akintoye

*** Update – An important point has been raised in the comments. We do not know what strain of the virus caused this death. If it was group B, there is not yet a vaccine protecting against it, which would technically make this case not one of a “Vaccine Preventable Death”. *** Age at death – 21  years Cause of death – Meningitis Vaccination status – Unknown Summary – On a Friday night in October 2007, Saleem went out with his girlfriend and her family for drinks. The next day, he woke up feeling run down, and assuming he was ———->FULL ARTICLE

Amazing story of survival – Baby Charlotte

 Posted by on February 14, 2011  2 Responses »
Feb 142011
 
Amazing story of survival - Baby Charlotte

The story of “Baby” Charlotte – a meningococcal survivor. As told by her father, Perry Bisman Reprinted with permission June 17th 2004 will always be indelibly etched in my memory as the day that started like any other and ended up as every parents worst nightmare. “Baby Charlotte” as she is now referred to in the media, has survived, against the odds with the most horrific injuries following her battle with meningococcal septicaemia. I went off to work at the Waiheke Jazz Festival where I was employed as Communications Manager. Charlotte’s mother Pam, rang me about 8.30 just after I ———->FULL ARTICLE

Vaccine Preventable Suffering – Nicole Wilson

 Posted by on December 15, 2010  No Responses »
Dec 152010
 
Vaccine Preventable Suffering - Nicole Wilson

Age at onset– 16 years Cause of suffering -Meningitis serotype B Vaccination status – There is no vaccine for serotype B Synopsis – Nicole was on a summer holiday with a friend when, one morning, she suddenly developed severe symptoms.  Within half an hour she was suffering from severe ­nausea and dizziness. ‘I felt completely wiped out, like I was ­recovering from a virus,’ recalls Nicole. A few hours later, she started experiencing intense shooting pains in her ankle; became breathless and disorientated, and her temperature shot up. She was put in a cold bath to cool her down, ‘but ———->FULL ARTICLE

Vaccine Preventable Suffering – Tyler Johnson

 Posted by on November 22, 2010  No Responses »
Nov 222010
 
Vaccine Preventable Suffering - Tyler Johnson

Age at onset– 10 years Cause of suffering– Meningococcal meningitis Vaccination status – Unvaccinated due to young age Synopsis – In 2008, Shara Ludlum’s preteen son Tyler began running a high fever, so she took him to the doctor and later to the emergency room. Diagnosed with a virus each time, Tyler was sent home to rest. The next day, he was having trouble breathing, so his mother rushed him back to the hospital, where he then developed a purplish rash on his feet and was finally diagnosed with meningococcal disease. By the time they got there, the disease had already ———->FULL ARTICLE

Vaccine Preventable Death – Drew Ottley

 Posted by on November 8, 2010  No Responses »
Nov 082010
 
Vaccine Preventable Death - Drew Ottley

Age at death – 18 years Cause of death – Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination status – Unvaccinated Synopsis – In January 2006, 18-year-old Drew Ottley, a high school senior, came home not feeling well. “He had been fine when he went to school,” says Drew’s mom, Holly. Drew met up with some friends after school to hang out and skate. He was on the brink of becoming a professional skateboarder after winning competitions and attracting endorsements. But at 8:30 p.m. on that January evening, Drew felt crummy. “He had fever and chills,” Holly says. “He ate some leftovers from dinner, but ———->FULL ARTICLE

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