ORIGINAL QUESTION:

Pick a disease in your geographic area and identify how it is tied to either infectious, chronic, gynecological or sexually transmitted infection (STI), environmental, cultural or geographic causation.

ANSWER BY COURSE HERO:

Meningitis (streptococcus suis) is an acute inflammation of the meninges, which are the protective membranes surrounding the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). There are five type of meningitis namely, including, bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, parasitic meningitis, fungi meningitis and noninfectious meningitis. Viral meningitis is the most common form of this disease. It is often caused by nonpolio enteroviruses, such as echnoviruses and coxsackievirus A & B. Other viruses can cause the disease as well; these viruses include the mumps, measles, and HIV, West Nile and herpes viruses.

This disease has symptoms, such as, nausea, fever, headache, stiff neck, skin rash and light insensitivity. There have been numerous cases of meningitis in New York City over a period. In 2012, 64 people died of meningitis. What is surprising is that there has been an alarming increase in the rate of transmission over the past three years. People who are HIV-positive or men with multiple partners are most at risk. However, it is also important that not anyone can contract the disease whether positive or negative, straight or gay male or female.
A person can be infected by meningitis if an infected person coughs or kisses you. However, a person cannot become infected by breathing the same air an infected person breaths. In a severe case, meningitis can cause seizures, stroke confusion, brain damage and ultimately death. In the year 2013, meningitis resulted to over 300,000 deaths worldwide.

For a person to prevent himself or herself from contracting the disease, they should take vaccines, which will prevent certain viral and bacterial infections that cause meningitis. Skipping vaccinations increases chances of getting these two types of meningitis. Other factors that pose the risk of infections includes living in closed quarters with other people, in places such as in dorm rooms, day care settings or even military barracks. Living in such places increase the chances of a person getting bacterial and viral meningitis from other people.

References

Giobbia, M., Scotton, P. G., Carniato, A., Cruciani, M., Farnia, A., Daniotti, E., & ... Vaglia, A. (2003). Community-acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia with menengitis and endophthalmitis in Italy. International Journal Of Infectious Diseases, 7(3), 234-235.
Roohandeh, A., Rahimi, P., Sohrabi, A., Mobasheri, M., Azadmanesh, K., Shahosseini, Z., & ... Dastkhosh, M. (2013). Frequency of human enterovirus 71 in children under 8 years old with aseptic menengitis in Tehran. Clinical Laboratory, 59(7-8), 915-920.

QUESTION TO ANSWER:

Provide the specific descriptive epidemiological aspects of this disease as it relates to your geographic area.