A meningitis outbreak has hit the US, claiming 14 lives as of last Friday.
Should we be alarmed that it might spread to other countries, too? Not really, as the type of meningitis that has caused the outbreak is not contagious.
Tthe one that hit the US is of the fungal kind, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was caused by “a potentially contaminated product” that had been injected into patients.
The CDC lists five types of meningitis: bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal and non-infectious meningitis.
Bacterial meningitis is spread from person to person through kissing, sneezing and other forms of close contact that involve the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions.
Viral meningitis is spread through “fecal contamination.”
Parasitic meningitis, as its name suggests, is caused by parasites like Angiostrongylus cantonensis that can contaminate food, water and soil and is a very rare form of meningitis.
Fungal meningitis, also as its name suggests, is caused by “the spread of a fungus through blood to the spinal cord.” While this is not contagious, it is one of the most common causes of adult meningitis in Africa.
Non-infectious meningitis, meanwhile, may be the result of cancer, lupus, certain drugs, head injury and brain surgery.
“The severity of illness and the treatment for meningitis differ depending on the cause. Thus, it is important to know the specific cause of meningitis,” the CDC advised.
Source: Phil Star
