Every mom wants to do whatever we can to protect our children but it is a fine balance between awareness and fear. One of the best ways to land somewhere in the middle is through knowledge and education. Being informed and aware can be the difference between life and death in some cases.
Earlier this week was World Meningitis Day. So, UrbanMoms and The UrbanMoms Network of bloggers is working in partnership with The Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada to educate moms across Canada and make sure that we have the information and tools necessary to identify the signs of this potentially deadly disease and are aware of its impact.
Did you know?
- In Canada, of those who develop meningitis, one in four die within 48 hours and half of them are younger than five years of age.
- Meningitis survivors can experience devastating consequences including varying degrees of blindness, deafness, paralysis, loss of limbs and mental retardation.
- Infants, children and young adults are one of the most impacted groups by bacterial meningitis in Canada.
- B strain is the most prevalent strain of bacterial meningitis across targeted age groups – under 1 years, 1-4 years and 15-19 years of age. There is currently no protection available for meningitis B.
I didn’t know. I mean, I have heard of Meningitis and I knew there were different strains and I knew there was a vaccine. But I didn’t know that there is no protection against some of the most serious forms and that children are at a higher risk and that it is often deadly. And I should know this. And so should you.
Because Meningitis is serious. Just ask Keaton and his mom, Katie:
