World Meningitis Day was observed on Tuesday across the world including Pakistan to know about the signs and symptoms, urgency to treat, and vaccines available to prevent this potentially deadly disease. The Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO) is urging people all over the world to `Join Hands Against Meningitis’ in an effort to reduce the global impact of the disease. The call-to-action encourages individuals, families and communities to learn the signs and symptoms of meningitis, the importance of urgent treatment of the disease and that prevention is available through vaccination against some forms of meningitis. Meningitis is a potentially deadly inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, which can be the result of a virus, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and can be associated with a potentially life-threatening blood infection (sepsis).
Each year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from meningitis, or suffer life-long disabilities. Bacterial meningitis, which is the most severe and common form, causes around 170,000deaths globally every year. Those surviving meningitis can have their lives devastated as a result of long-term effects, such as deafness, brain damage and limb-loss.