Meningococcal disease refers to any disease caused by the Neisseria meningitides bacteria. This is one of the most serious and devastating bacterial infections a person can get. Its most feared complication is meningitis, an infection and inflammation of the fluid and lining around the brain and spinal cord, which can have devastating consequences.

This sneaky bacteria is spread person to person via saliva, and young people are notorious for “swapping spit” (i.e. sharing water bottles/cups/utensils/food, inhaling droplets from someone coughing nearby, or kissing). It is recommended that ALL adolescents, ideally age 11 or 12, get the vaccine with a booster at age 16, before the peak of increased risk. (The incidence is highest among freshmen living in dormitories. Do you remember your tiny dorm room in college? Just picture those germs circulating in that closet-sized room. This and the "swapping spit" scenario are why meningitis outbreaks are particularly devastating and far-reaching on college campuses.)

Younger children and some adults who are high risk may also need the vaccine. Your doctor may recommend more than 1 type of meningitis vaccine to ensure complete coverage against meningococcal meningitis.

Meningococcal meningitis can strike quickly, possibly killing someone within a few hours. Here are some signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis:

• High fever with cold hands/feet
• Drowsy/difficult to wake
• Severe muscle pain or headache
• Confusion/irritability
• Diffuse rash of tiny red "pin pricks" that doesn't blanch with pressure, evolving to look like fresh bruises
• Neck pain/stiff neck
• Sensitivity to light

Even when meningococcal meningitis is caught early and treated correctly, there can be severe long-term side effects such as:

• Hearing loss or deafness
• Visual impairment or blindness
• Loss of digits or limbs
• Damage to major organs
• Death (in about 7 percent of cases)

Let me tell you about my friend Kyle. In 1995, Kyle was a healthy 16-year-old high school student who woke one morning with a severe headache and high fever. His mom noticed he was acting a little "off" but assumed it to be just the fever.

About eight hours later she noticed a rash and that Kyle was having trouble standing on his own. She took him to the ER where doctors quickly recognized the signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis and immediately administered antibiotics before even getting confirmatory lab work, because with bacterial meningitis, immediate treatment is essential. Kyle was admitted to the ICU for a week, and his parents were told his prognosis was bleak.

During a three-week hospital stay, Kyle went into acute kidney failure, respiratory failure, and had to have multiple fingers amputated. Thankfully, he survived. Once home, he had 4 more major reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts requiring almost a year of wound care and dressing changes. Today Kyle is an advocate for the meningococcal vaccine. He only wishes he had the vaccine available to him as a teen (The meningococcal meningitis vaccine Menactra was licensed for use in adolescents in the U.S. in 2005; since then the annual incidence of meningococcal disease has decreased 64 percent.)

So the next time your adolescent moans and groans when the pediatrician says he needs a meningitis shot, tell him, “It could save your life.”

One way to narrow this down is asking, "What part of your head is hurting?" and "What does it feel like?" (Note! These are some very general guidelines and don't apply to all headaches. Most headache causes however can be found in one of these categories.)

Migraines are typically a one-sided severe, throbbing and intense pain occasionally accompanied by nausea/vomiting and sensitivity to light. Migraines have a genetic component though so we typically want to know about family history of headaches. They can be triggered by things such as: stress, hormones, dehydration, hunger, and lack of sleep.

What about neck/back of the head pain? Think about what is causing those muscles to pull and strain and cause you pain. Heavy backpacks are a BIG offender. Also, body positioning is huge. For example, staring down at the phone/iPad all day? (AKA every teenager). How about arms not on a level surface when studying? What happens is their shoulders are pulled up all day while they study, creating unnecessary tension and/or pain in the neck and shoulders. Oh, and don't forget heavy ponytails too!

Front of the head/forehead pain: Pain here can be caused by eye strain, so let's start by checking their vision. This type of pain can also be caused by allergies/sinus infections, especially if tender to the touch.

General causes of headaches: The number one reason I see headaches is dietary. Not drinking enough water and not having good protein for breakfast or before exercise is a large factor. This can also make them dizzy and feel faint.

Sleep!! I don't care what or how much you change in your life, if you don't sleep enough you are going to get headaches (I have tried to work around this rule- ya just can't). Most children need 9-11 hours of sleep, depending on their exact age.

Some red flags are: severe headache especially with fever or neck pain, headache that is progressively worsening and not responding to usual treatments, waking up in the middle of the night with a headache, early morning headache especially with vomiting, or any with neurological symptoms (not walking right, personality changes, weakness, decreased vision, etc).

Now, not every headache fits exactly into these categories. This is just a general outline to give you some things to take note of before the visit. I have also included a headache journal that, if you filled out before your visit, your provider would do a happy dance for you!!

We are always happy to talk about your headaches and want to do that. I want this to help make your visit and discussions with us more productive! It will be if we have already been taking note of these common types and offenders.

- Sperry, NP

About the author

Sperry Binnicker is a nurse practitioner at Willow Park. Sperry joined Cook Children's in 2009 in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). In that role, she earned the Daisy Award, an award given to a nurse that is nominated and selected by the parents of patients for excellence in patient care. She continued her education while working full time and received her master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in May of 2015.She is a Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and a member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Learn more about the Willow Park staff here.