When a child suddenly develops a fever, parents' biggest worry is whether the child's brain will be "damaged by the fever," affecting their brain development.
In fact, fever is a warning sign sent by the body. The condition that can cause serious damage to the brain is a brain disease that causes fever symptoms, and one of the more dangerous ones is 'meningitis'.
Dr. Chan Keung-kit, a paediatric specialist, explained that meningitis has numerous causes, broadly categorised into viral and bacterial. Viral meningitis can be caused by enteroviruses, herpes simplex virus, and others. Bacterial meningitis is caused by pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae type b and Neisseria meningitidis.
Meningitis is primarily spread by droplets, such as saliva and nasal mucus. Therefore, when children start school and have close contact with other children, their chances of infection significantly increase.
When meningococcal bacteria invade the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, they damage the central nervous system, leading to severe sequelae. Depending on the area of the brain affected, children may suffer from permanent intellectual impairment, developmental delays, and problems with cognitive and motor coordination, resulting in seizures and uncoordinated limb movements. If the auditory nerve is damaged, it can also lead to hearing loss.
Dr Chan stated that in the past, citizens may not have had widespread medical knowledge, and upon seeing children with the aforementioned symptoms after a fever, they would assume it was "brain damage from the fever". In reality, the true culprit was meningococcal bacteria.
The sequelae of meningitis caused by meningococcal bacteria are irreversible, and children will face permanent damage, which is a burden for every family. Therefore, if parents can prevent meningococcal infections in their children at an early stage, they can provide the greatest protection for their children.
Meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccine and meningococcal B vaccine are both privately funded vaccines, meaning that if parents do not specifically arrange for their children to receive them, the children will not be protected by the vaccines. It is recommended that children be vaccinated as soon as possible.
The above information is provided by Dr. Chan Keung-kit, Paediatric Specialist.
Source: Parent Magazine / Capital Weekly
