Meningitis & HiB

Meningitis is the one infectious illness that most parents who come to see me are concerned about because of the severity of the signs, symptoms, and complications. We’ll learn the difference between viral and bacterial meningitis and what to look for in terms of physical signs/symptoms. The illness can often present much like the flu. Are you starting to see the pattern of infectious illness? Fever followed by flu-like symptoms.

Then we'll move on to HiB. The Haemophilus influenza vaccine was first introduced in the late 1980’s when my young men were in their preschool years. HiB vaccine marked the beginning of more and more vaccines in the schedule.

“Unlike measles, polio or diphtheria, HiB does not cause a specific illness with which it, alone, can be identified. The most deadly forms of HiB infection include pneumonia and meningitis, but those diseases can have other causes and can look the same whether caused by HiB or some other agent.” ~ World Health Organization