5 Treatments For Haemophilus Influenzae Meningitis

According to the WHO, Haemophilus influenzae leads to some three million ailments along with the whopping death toll of 386,000 people annually across the world. Typically, Haemophilus is responsible for the infections in the upper respiratory tract, which can prove fatal if they affect the lungs, bloodstream, and brain.

However, when it comes to meningitis in children below five years, the Haemophilus’ serogroup B (Hib) bacterium plays a causal role by infecting the protective tissues (meninges) of the spinal cord as well as brain.

However, the good news is that the preventive vaccines have brought down the ratio of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis to one per 100,000 American kids, as per CDC.Nevertheless, the ailment is still widespread in unvaccinated kids, elders, and in people of any kind of immunodeficiency. Therefore, it is necessary for them to know about the treatments for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis, as they are at high risk. Let us now check out these treatments!

Antibiotics

As the root of the ailment is a bacterium, one of the treatments for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis has to be antibiotics. In case of mild symptoms such as sinusitis and bronchitis, the patients successfully attain relief with the 10 to 12 days of oral treatment of antibiotics.Among the antibiotics, TPM/SMX, azithromycin, and amoxicillin–clavulanate are effective for mild infections as per the John Hopkins Point-of-Care Information Technology center.

On the other hand, in case of severe condition, intravenous form of the ceftriaxone or cephalosporins is essential. However, these medicines induce some common side effects such as diarrhea and vomiting along with the rare Stevens-Johnson syndrome (by TPM) that features rash, blisters, and death of external skin layer.

Corticosteroids

According to the Dr. Brian M. Greenwood’s statement in the New England Journal of Medicine (2007 issue), the intake of corticosteroids is among the effective treatments for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis in kids prior to the administration of antibiotics. This group of medications is mostly useful in dealing with the symptoms of deafness due to the brain infections, which mostly occurs in children.

Intravenous Solutions

These are effective in case of shock as well as low blood pressure as the symptoms of the infection in the bloodstream. For instance, the saline fluid via an intravenous drop has the power to deal with these symptoms, according to the experts. This is mainly because this fluid contains small amounts of sodium chloride that play the role of reliever.

Other Medications

These are advisable as per the presence and intensity of other symptoms. When fever is present, one of the treatments for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis is an anti-pyretic such as aspirin or acetaminophen that your child intakes orally or intravenously depending on the mild or severe infections respectively. However, the use of aspirin can trigger Reye’s syndrome that is a critical condition negatively influencing the liver and brain, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

In case of neck pain and headaches, analgesics are recommendable, while anti-inflammatory drugs are for treating inflammation in the meninges or fever. As per CDC, timely antibiotic administration has reversed the unfeasibility of recovery in more than 90% cases of meningitis.

Oxygen Rehabilitation

This is the most recommended of all the treatments for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis when the patient is suffering from lung infections that lead to the breath shortness.