Meningitis in Children (cont.)

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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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When to Seek Medical Care

If a caregiver is concerned that a child has developed meningitis, immediate medical evaluation of the child is essential. Because meningitis is a medical emergency, treatment at a hospital's emergency department is more appropriate than at a doctor's office. If transportation is not available, a caregiver should immediately call 911 for emergency medical services to have the child brought to a hospital's emergency department.

Meningitis is a disease that needs prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment, especially if it is bacterial. A doctor must perform specific tests to check for the type (usually bacterial or viral) of meningitis. Meningitis cannot be diagnosed over the phone or simply based on a telephone description of the situation.

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