children s health issues
Meningitis in Children
Prognosis for Meningitis in Children
Even with timely, appropriate treatment, as many as 5 to 25% of newborns with bacterial meningitis and 5 to 10% of older infants and children with bacterial meningitis die. In older infants and children, death rates vary from 3 to 5% when the cause isHaemophilus influenzaetype b, 5 to 10% when the cause isNeisseria meningitidis, and 10 to 20% when the cause isStreptococcus pneumoniae. Of the newborns who survive, 20 to 50% develop serious brain and nerve problems, such as an accumulation of extra fluid in the normal open spaces within the brain ( Hydrocephalus ), About 15 to 25% of older infants and children develop brain and nerve problems such as hearing loss, intellectual disability, and seizures. 