Treating and Preventing Meningitis and Encephalitis Essay -- Biology M

Treating and Preventing Meningitis and Encephalitis The diseases, meningitis and encephalitis, cause various problems in the brain and should be avoided at all costs. Various preventative measures can be taken to avoid them. When one does contract one of the diseases, treatments are available to help cure them, but the treatments do not have a 100 percent success rate. Because of its viral and bacterial tendencies, antibiotics are used at times to attack the diseases as are various vaccines to help prevent contraction of the diseases. In the process of painting the famous Sistine Chapel, Leonardo Da Vinci accidentally uses the wrong color paint to paint Adam's finger. Should he wait until the paint is dry and can no longer fix the mess he made, leave it as a mistake, or take off the paint immediately and fix it? Of course taking care of the blemish as quickly as possible would be the best choice. Much like in this hypothetical scenario, one would want to treat a case of meningitis or encephalitis with the utmost urgency. The horrible effects of the diseases make them advisable to avoid and also advisable to treat promptly when contracted. Due to its tendency to be both a viral and bacterial disease, meningitis can prove difficult to treat. Its dual tendencies also mean that various methods are used to attack the disease. In order to treat meningitis, different aspects of the disease must be discovered first. The type of organism causing the infection, the age of the patient, and the extent of the infection must all be taken into account (WebMD, sec. 8). Any time meningitis is found, immediate treatment with antibiotics is required, and continuation of antibiotic treatment depends on whether a bacteria or a virus is causing th... ...edicine. 6 Oct. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Encephalitis.† Kids Health. Jan. 2005. Nemours Foundation. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Encephalitis.† WebMD. 15 Oct. 2004. 27 July 2006 . Hicks, Rob, Dr., and Trisha Macnair, Dr. â€Å"Meningitis.† BBC. Dec. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† Emedicinehealth. 10 Aug. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† WebMD. 28 Feb. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† Wikipedia. 20 July 2006. 30 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningococcal Disease.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 12 Oct. 2005. Department of Health and Human Services. 27 July 2006 . Treating and Preventing Meningitis and Encephalitis Essay -- Biology M Treating and Preventing Meningitis and Encephalitis The diseases, meningitis and encephalitis, cause various problems in the brain and should be avoided at all costs. Various preventative measures can be taken to avoid them. When one does contract one of the diseases, treatments are available to help cure them, but the treatments do not have a 100 percent success rate. Because of its viral and bacterial tendencies, antibiotics are used at times to attack the diseases as are various vaccines to help prevent contraction of the diseases. In the process of painting the famous Sistine Chapel, Leonardo Da Vinci accidentally uses the wrong color paint to paint Adam's finger. Should he wait until the paint is dry and can no longer fix the mess he made, leave it as a mistake, or take off the paint immediately and fix it? Of course taking care of the blemish as quickly as possible would be the best choice. Much like in this hypothetical scenario, one would want to treat a case of meningitis or encephalitis with the utmost urgency. The horrible effects of the diseases make them advisable to avoid and also advisable to treat promptly when contracted. Due to its tendency to be both a viral and bacterial disease, meningitis can prove difficult to treat. Its dual tendencies also mean that various methods are used to attack the disease. In order to treat meningitis, different aspects of the disease must be discovered first. The type of organism causing the infection, the age of the patient, and the extent of the infection must all be taken into account (WebMD, sec. 8). Any time meningitis is found, immediate treatment with antibiotics is required, and continuation of antibiotic treatment depends on whether a bacteria or a virus is causing th... ...edicine. 6 Oct. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Encephalitis.† Kids Health. Jan. 2005. Nemours Foundation. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Encephalitis.† WebMD. 15 Oct. 2004. 27 July 2006 . Hicks, Rob, Dr., and Trisha Macnair, Dr. â€Å"Meningitis.† BBC. Dec. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† Emedicinehealth. 10 Aug. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† WebMD. 28 Feb. 2005. 27 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningitis.† Wikipedia. 20 July 2006. 30 July 2006 . â€Å"Meningococcal Disease.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 12 Oct. 2005. Department of Health and Human Services. 27 July 2006 .