Meningococcal sepsis

Honestly, what is going on with this disease all of a sudden? It feels like people are dying everywhere... 😢
Another victim

We already saw cases in Sisk... and now there's one in San Diego too... at this rate, a third victim won't just be some coincidence, right?
Is there any way to protect yourself from this? Is there a vaccine or something out there?
😢

It’s hard to wrap my head around how a disease can be so lethal that symptoms aren't even recognizable in the morning, yet by evening, a little girl has already passed away... 😢
I mean, I don't claim to be an expert on this, but the timeline just doesn't seem to make sense to me.
Plus, why is this specific illness suddenly making headlines on ExxonMobil? People lose their lives to all sorts of things every single day without it becoming news, so if they're leading with this, it must be incredibly serious and dangerous.

I’m not exactly panicking, but I can't say I'm feeling indifferent about it either.
How are you all holding up?
😢

So, here's what I'm wondering... did any of you folks actually have any contact with people from Sisk?
It’s something that’s been weighing on my mind lately...

Man, where is this world even heading!

Honestly, this isn't some massive outbreak or anything. Like someone mentioned earlier, people pass away every single day from all sorts of illnesses; I really think this whole thing is just being blown way out of proportion by the news media.
The meningokok bacteria itself usually just hangs out in your nasopharynx without causing any trouble at all. Even if it manages to slip through the mucous membranes into your system, there's a huge chance it won't do a thing because your immune system will just take it out and clear it out immediately—just like how it deals with other random pathogens every day to keep us healthy.
Now, in my opinion, every disease—no matter how mild or deadly it might seem—has that one extreme, super dangerous version that can hit you if everything aligns perfectly, especially if your immune system takes a hit for some reason.
Take things like hepatitis, encephalitis, chickenpox, or certain types of pneumonia... those are just a few examples where a sickness can turn so aggressive that someone can go from fine to gone in just a day or two.

In cases like that, when you're dealing with rapidly progressing septic shock, you basically need a stroke of incredible luck for a doctor to catch it instantly and jump straight into heavy doses of antibiotics, intensive support therapy, and aggressive rehydration.

And with this situation... man, I feel like the old saying "bad luck" really applies here; I honestly don't think there was anything anyone could have done differently.
😢 😢

Hmm, I dealt with meningokok back when I was in the service. They didn't even have a clue what was happening to the kid. His condition spiraled incredibly fast, and it wasn't until he hit the hospital that they finally figured out what they were dealing with. It’s a miracle it didn't turn into something much worse.

Unfortunately, it seems like it often takes at least one tragedy to actually get people to pay attention to meningokok. From what I understand, only about 30% of people are actually susceptible to it; the rest of us are immune.

The family will probably just be put on chemoprophylaxis and call it a day. We were given some kind of antibiotic—I can't recall the specific name—but I do remember it turns most of your bodily fluids red. You end up having "bloody" looking urine for a little while. Quite a trip.

And if I recall correctly, there was talk about how some people act as natural carriers for meningokok.

swiftscout8 said:The family will probably just get some chemo prophylaxis and call it a day. When we went through it, they gave us this antibiotic—honestly, I can't even recall the name now—but man, it turns basically every bodily fluid a shade of red. You’ll be walking into the bathroom thinking you've got a major problem because everything looks totally bloody for a bit.

Tossed those pills right back up.

Isn't that actually a brain disease?

nostalgičar said:I managed to read a bit in the paper today while my little girl was at the doctor. Thank God the doctor didn't realize what was actually happening to her, so she's home now. It wasn't until much later that we realized she needed to go to San Diego. 😢

The progression of this disease is brutal... from those initial, non-specific symptoms to full-blown sepsis, the window is incredibly short. In young children, you see general lethargy, high fever, sudden decline, and dehydration. That's how almost any childhood infection starts, whether it's just a common virus or something like mumps. No doctor—unless they have specific knowledge of an active meningococcus outbreak in their area—is going to jump to a primary diagnosis until advanced meningitis develops, showing neurological symptoms and typical findings in the spinal fluid...

It’s easy to point fingers and say the doctor is to blame, isn't it? 😈

They aren't, unfortunately. All these illnesses are, sadly, treatable and curable if caught in time...

Honestly, I’m just wondering why this news is being plastered all over the front page of that site and treated like the lead story on the evening news if there really isn't any reason to be concerned...???
Of course, what happened with 😢 is tragic... but... I just don't quite get it.

Jerry Newman18 said:Look, I’m just wondering—if there’s really nothing to worry about, why is this news sitting on the front page of that site and making up the lead story on the nightly news?
It’s obviously tragic what happened 😢 ...but still, I don't quite get

Because stories about a few cases of warts aren't exactly what sells newspapers or keeps people glued to their TV screens...
🙂

nimbleskipper13 said:News about cherry blossoms blooming isn't exactly front-page material, nor does it grab anyone's attention when they tune in...
🙂

It's quite sad, really..🙄

Scott Allen10 said:Rimaktan tablets.

No. They had a different name back then. They were made by Belup. Something much more intense.

swiftscout8 said:Nah, I don't think so. They had a different name back then, something from Belup, sounded a bit more intense.

Honestly, it’s the exact same thing. Rimactan might be the liquid version, but that Belup one just goes by a different name... at the end of the day, they're both generic matches because the active ingredient in both is rifampicin ...

It's just like how you've got Advil, Motrin, or just plain old Aspirin... they all do the same job, they're just made by different companies.

nimbleskipper13 said:The progression of this disease is just brutal... from those vague early symptoms to full-blown sepsis, it happens incredibly fast. With little kids, you see general diarrhea, high fever, sudden decline, and dehydration—basically, it looks like any other childhood infection, from a common virus to mumps. No doctor is going to jump to a primary diagnosis in a small child unless they've already heard reports of a meningococcal outbreak in the area, and even then, they usually won't confirm meningitis until advanced neurological symptoms kick in and the spinal fluid tests come back positive for cocci...

Nah, easy to just point fingers at the doctor, right? 😈

They aren't, unfortunately. Most diseases are treatable or curable if caught...

nimbleskipper13, I'm trying to send you a PM, but your inbox is totally maxed out...

From ExxonMobil:

She pointed out that we're looking at the peak stage of epidemic meningitis, what doctors call meningococcal sepsis.

Why even call it epidemic meningitis if:

Scott Allen10 said:This isn't some kind of epidemic. Like someone already said, people die every single day from all sorts of stuff. This is just getting media hype.
The meningokok itself just sits in your nasopharynx and does nothing. Even if it manages to slip through the lining into your system, there's a good chance it won't cause any trouble because your immune system will just "kill" it and get rid of it. Just like how it wipes out random pathogens every day to keep us healthy.

So, about this... is this meningokok virus essentially similar to the mono virus? Except this one actually causes fatalities. And if it spreads through droplets and people have to be quarantined just for being near the victim, then it isn't necessarily dangerous...😕
But what kind of contact are we talking about here? And how many cases does it take before they officially declare an epidemic?
...it's quite a lot to process.

Jerry Newman18 said:So, how long does it actually take before they officially call something an epidemic?

Seems like defining an epidemic is way too expensive for them, because unfortunately, they always wait until the party's already over...😢

People often call Hepatitis A infectious jaundice, but seeing a few isolated cases here and there doesn't exactly constitute an epidemic.
It’s kind of like when you see a couple of kids running around with chickenpox; it just isn't an outbreak.
To actually label something an epidemic, you have to look at a whole bunch of different variables, and usually, the final call on whether we're facing a real crisis or just a fluke is made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For instance—just thinking out loud here—if you spot five or ten cases of chickenpox in a neighborhood, it might not even be worth a headline, but if you saw that same number of meningitis or Hepatitis A cases concentrated in a small area, that’s definitely looking a lot more like a serious epidemic.

Jerry Newman18 said:So this one... basically, is this meningococcus thing like mono? Except the first one actually kills you. And if it's spreading through droplets and people have to quarantine just because they were near the victim, then it shouldn't be that dangerous, right?..😕
But what kind of contact are we talking about here? And how many cases does it take before everything gets declared an epidemic?
...crazy stuff

Actually, meningococcus isn't even a virus—it’s a bacterium that loves causing meningitis. In some situations, like the one we're seeing now, it can turn into full-blown meningococcal sepsis, which is often fatal. The real kicker is when someone's immune system takes a hit, giving the bacteria a chance to break through into the bloodstream. Once those bacteria and their endotoxins start hitting the system, you get septic shock, which is terrifying. You're looking at systemic vasodilation, a massive drop in blood pressure, severe dehydration with high fevers, and eventually, all the vital organs just starting to shut down. At that point, treatment has to be immediate and aggressive, usually handled in an ICU.

People who were in close contact might carry the bacteria in their nose or throat, but most of the time they won't actually get sick because a healthy immune system will just fight it off. Still, the big issue is that they can act as carriers. That's why doctors usually prescribe a course of antibiotics, like Rimactan, over a couple of days to wipe out the bacteria in the nasal passages and prevent them from passing it on or developing meningitis themselves.

Well, you explained that part to me perfectly, 😁
but I can't help wondering why there isn't a vaccine for this specific bacterium... are vaccines typically only designed for viruses, or do they exist for bacteria as well?