204 why children lose their hearing and what we can do
Meningitis
Meningitis (brain fever) is a serious infection of the brain that can spread
to the ear nerves and cause deafness. An ear infection can also spread
to the brain and cause meningitis. Meningitis may begin after another
childhood illness, such as measles, mumps, or whooping cough. It may
also be caused by a virus.
Signs of meningitis:
The signs of meningitis are severe
headache and fever. The child may
be sleepy and have fits or jerks.
Sometimes there is vomiting and a
rash. A child with meningitis may
faint (quickly go unconscious).
Get medical help fast —
every minute counts.
Take the child to the hospital!
soft spot bulges up
(babies under 1 year)
stiff neck
back arched,
knees forward
To treat meningitis while taking the child to a hospital
Inject one of the following 3 medicines in the muscle or in the vein.
Injections in the vein should be done only by a well-trained health
worker. If a health worker is not available, it is best to inject the child
in a muscle.
• ceftriaxone
give 50 mg to 100 mg for every kilo of body weight, 1 time only
or
• benzylpenicillin
age less than 1 year ������������������� 300 mg (500,000 units), 1 time only
age 1 to 9 years �������������������������� 600 mg (1,000,000 units), 1 time only
age 10 years or more ����������������� 1.2 g (2,000,000 units), 1 time only
or
• cefotaxime
age less than 1 year ������������������� 12.5 mg to 50 mg (for severe infection) per
kilo of body weight, 4 times a day.
(A 10 kg child needs at least 125 mg and
up to 500 mg per dose.)
age 1 to 9 years �������������������������� 25 to 50 mg per kilo of body weight,
4 times a day. (A 20 kg child needs at least
500 mg and up to 1000 mg per dose.)
Lower a high fever with wet cloths and/or paracetamol (see page 195).
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)