Texas University Student Severe Meningitis Partly Treated with Viagra and Oxygen Helps Foment Change in Texas Bacterial Meningitis Law

Story of Texas Student Who Had Meningitis Trauma Partly Treated with Viagra and Oxygen Pushes Texas to Join 12 Other American States in Mandating Bacterial Meningitis Vaccine

The heart breaking experience of a Texas sophomore, Jamie Schanbaum who contracted bacterial meningitis, helped push the Texas Legislature into enacting mandatory Meningitis vaccination for university students. Her experience was so severe that doctors tried using oxygen and Viagra to improve the circulation of oxygen to her limbs.




Bacterial Meningitis can fall upon it's victims with a sudden savage fury.It can be especially devastating when what seems like a sore throat morphs over night into deadly meningitis. The brain and the spinal cord, the nervous system, are sheathed in layers of tissue. When these layers get an "inflammation", mostly an infection..that's meningitis. The usual suspects in infection elsewhere are also the culprits here, i.e. viruses, bacteria and even fungus.

What are Some Symptoms of Meningitis and Meningococcemia

According to the National Meningitis Association (see below):

Meningitis starts out looking like the flu or a migraine and progresses quickly. Some, but not all of the symptoms may be present. Here is a list of symptoms:

Headache - May seem like the worst headache you have ever had.

Fever - Can get very high. Doesn't respond to tepid bath or aspirin.

Vomiting

Numbness / cold extremities / loss of feeling

Stiff neck

Avoiding light

Disoriented / confused

Seizures

Purple spots or rash - This means blood poisoning is underway. Pressing a clear glass on the spots does not cause them to turn white.

Why is Bacterial Meningitis Dangerous and Requires Prompt Medical Attention?

Why Are College Students More Susceptible to Meningitis?

The meningitis one generally reads about in college outbreaks is meningococcal meningitis. It is caused by a bacteria, Neisseria Meningitidis. (for you Biology majors,nicknamed the Meningiococcus, it's a gram negative diplococcus)..College students tend to live in dorms and cramped apartments with multiple students. Sanitation and hygeine are not always foremost on some students' agenda. The meninigitis microbe, Neisseria meningitidis, is spread via close contact such as sharing drinking cups, kissing and sharing cigarettes. Many people are natural carriers and can walk around with the bacteria with no ill effects.



Bacteria can be organized by subtypes into so called serogroups..by what is in the capsule that surrounds them. six serogroups of Meningococcus are mostly to blame for the meningitis caused by this particular bacteria. (remember meningitis is also caused by other bacteria as well as viruses and even fungi)...the serogroups X,Y,A,B,C and W-135 are the main culprits with the meningococcus. The vaccines available now don't work on serogroup B.

What Are the Types and Treatments of Meningitis







"Neisseria meningitidis are bacteria that can cause illness in people of any age. At any time, about 5-15% of people have these bacteria in their throats or noses without getting sick. The meningitis bacteria are spread through saliva (spit) during kissing, sharing of food, drinks or cigarettes, and by close contact with infected people who are sneezing or coughing. People who have come in close contact with the saliva of a person with meningitis from this type of bacteria may have to get antibiotics (medicine) for protection. Meningitis caused by these bacteria is called “meningococcal.” There are vaccines, which can be used to help prevent this kind of meningitis.


Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria, called Hib, can also cause meningitis. There is a vaccine called “Hib vaccine” that prevents infants and young children from getting Hib disease. Most adults are resistant to this type of meningitis, and thanks to the vaccine, most children under 5 years of age are protected. Certain
people who have come in close contact with the saliva of a person with meningitis from this type of bacteria may have to get an antibiotic for protection.


Streptococcus pneumoniae are bacteria that cause lung and ear infections but can also cause “pneumococcal” meningitis. These bacteria are usually found in the throat. Most people who have these bacteria in their throats stay healthy. However, people with chronic medical problems or with weakened immune systems, and those who are very young or very old, are at higher risk for getting pneumococcal meningitis".

Jamie Schanbaum Support and Medical Update Blog

Freshmen Required to Get Vaccine

Viagra Used to Treat Rare Meningitis Attack, Student Fights for Her Life


You can read the transcript of a NOVA television program on meningitis at KILLER DISEASE ON CAMPUS.


Why doesn't everyone, especially college students get vaccinated? There is a vaccine that covers four of the five most common "serotypes" of meningococcal meningitis. Per the CDC, " Vaccination does not eliminate risk because:

the vaccine confers no protection against serogroup B disease and

although the vaccine is highly effective against serogroups C, Y, W-135, and A, efficacy is less than 100%."


Nevertheless, it still seems that getting vaccinated will lower the chances of this especially nasty form of bacterial meningitis. It's certainly worth discussing with your doctor.

Meningococcal Vaccination