Acute Bacterial Meningitis: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Abstract

Context: Military personnel and recruits are generally a high-risk group for meningococcal disease, with a reported incidence of four to ten times greater than that of the general population. Unlike progresses in medicine, bacterial meningitis is still recognized as a medical emergency, which necessitates immediate actions for the definitive diagnosis and subsequently proper antimicrobial regimen. The mortality and morbidity rate are still high even with proper therapeutics and diagnosed cases, if left unattended, can reach 100% mortality. Epidemics with certain pathogens, especially N. meningitidis, might result in grave situations in public health levels in crowded places, namely military bases and camps, and this necessitates proper precautionary actions. Various vaccines have been introduced to control outbreaks in the public health context. Evidence Acquisition: In this review article, 45 related literatures regarding the “acute bacterial meningitis” were studied searching the Internet using Medical data bases such as PubMed and Google Scholar, using the keyword of acute bacterial meningitis. Results: Due to high morbidity and mortality rate, providing accurate, detailed, and citable information is vital, especially, concerning the etiology and persons at highest risk to guarantee and ensure public health and appropriate management. Conclusions: Despite a decrease in morbidity and mortality in the recent years, it is still one of the fatal diseases of the world. However, a definitive diagnosis, prompt therapeutic strategy, decent adjunctive treatment, and vaccinations can all have positive influences in the context of the best patient care.