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Meningitis

24 August 2005

The headline story in the Birmingham Evening Post yesterday is about a two year old boy that died of meningitis after being misdiagnosed by both a doctor and an ambulance crew. It appears in this case that the problem was that some of the symptoms the boy showed were similar to those of chickenpox.

Some of the signs and symptoms include:

  • High temperature, fever, possibly with cold hands and feet
  • Vomiting, or loss of appetite
  • Severe Headache
  • Neck stiffness
  • Join or muscle pains
  • Drowsiness
  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Dislike of bright light
  • Seizures
  • Skin Rash small red/purple spots. Does not fade when a glass is pressed against it
  • Babies may also have high-pitched crying, reluctance to ffed, slight tnderness and swelling of the soft parts of the skull

If you have a copy of The First Aid Manual, Latest Update (produced by the 3 voluntary aid societies), then there is more information there, or see:

Both these websites have a list of symptoms and other useful information. There is also a helpline 080 8800 3344