Every mom wants to do whatever we can to protect our children but it is a fine balance between awareness and fear. One of the best ways to land somewhere in the middle is through knowledge and education. Being informed and aware can be the difference between life and death in some cases.
Earlier this week was World Meningitis Day. So, UrbanMoms and The UrbanMoms Network of bloggers is working in partnership with The Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada to educate moms across Canada and make sure that we have the information and tools necessary to identify the signs of this potentially deadly disease and are aware of its impact.
Did you know?
- In Canada, of those who develop meningitis, one in four die within 48 hours and half of them are younger than five years of age.
- Meningitis survivors can experience devastating consequences including varying degrees of blindness, deafness, paralysis, loss of limbs and mental retardation.
- Infants, children and young adults are one of the most impacted groups by bacterial meningitis in Canada.
- B strain is the most prevalent strain of bacterial meningitis across targeted age groups - under 1 years, 1-4 years and 15-19 years of age. There is currently no protection available for meningitis B.
I didn't know. I mean, I have heard of Meningitis and I knew there were different strains and I knew there was a vaccine. But I didn't know that there is no protection against some of the most serious forms and that children are at a higher risk and that it is often deadly. And I should know this. And so should you.
Because Meningitis is serious. Just ask Keaton and his mom, Katie:
Another terrifying thing to consider... yikes! I'm a firm believer in immunization - it's good to know that a vaccine for the B-strain will be available soon. I'll ask my pediatrician about it at the next check-up. Thanks for keeping us informed, Jen!
Wow. Thanks for the information. You are right, it is so important to know the facts.
I didn't realize that my children weren't fully protected from contracting Meningitis after being immunized. I will definitely speak to my doctor at our next appointment.
I got pregnant in 1995 and I already had a 11 yr old daughter, and since I went in labour early with my eldest daughter I thought nothing of it. I did though keep going to the doctors only to find out that I was a "carrier for Strep B" which is a form of "Meningitis". I too, had my "world" turned upside down and twisted due to the fact of being a carrier for this disease. Needless to say I really wanted another child and 11 yrs later I gave birth to another daughter weighing in at 5lbs 16ozs. As my daughter was being delivered I found out that my daughter had contracted "Strep B" through the "birth canal". My daughter was taken right away to be checked over and tested for everything humanly possible. Since I lived in Brantford,Ontario., the doctors could not fix my daughter. She was flown by helicopter to Hamilton MacMaster while my husband and I at the time were going to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton. The doctors examined our daughter and was even put through studies that we had to sign for whether or not she was picked to get the medicine or not. Needless to say, our daughter did not make it through the night. It was the longest night of "my life".. We had beepers provided by the hospital for us. Early the next morning,my husband had to make the decision to pull the plug as our daughter was deterioating fast. Well to make a long story short my daughter lived with her dad and I for 1 day. I held her until she passed away to the heavens. It felt like my whole life disappeared so quickly. A year later, someone up above must have heard my prayers and blessed us with another child. He is now 14 yrs old.
Wow, Lisa. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am so sorry for your loss. What a heart-wrenching experience.
My heart really goes out to Keaton and his mother. The months they spent in the hospital must have been harrowing. As a mother myself I can't imagine the nightmare this was to go through. Thanks for sharing the story and bringing awareness to this deadly illness.
I think it's great that you are educating people in regard to meningitis. I lost a brother, age 19, to this disease. When he got sick, the doctor told him he just had a bad case of the flu. The next day he passed away....
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Way awesome, some great points! I appreciate you making this article available, the rest of the site is also high quality. Have a fun.