Definition

Noun: - An infectious disease: Epidemic meningitis is a specific, severe form of meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is characterized by its ability to spread rapidly and widely among a population in a short period.

Usage

• Medical Context: The term is used specifically in medical and public health contexts to describe outbreaks of bacterial meningitis that affect a large number of people.
  • The health organization deployed teams to contain the outbreak of epidemic meningitis.
  • Vaccination is a critical tool for preventing epidemic meningitis.

Advanced Usage

• As a public health concern: The word "epidemic" highlights the scale and urgency, distinguishing it from sporadic or isolated cases of meningitis.
  • The region was declared a disaster zone due to the epidemic meningitis crisis.

Variants and Related Words

• Meningitis (n): The general term for inflammation of the meninges, which can have various causes (viral, bacterial, fungal).
• Meningococcal Meningitis (n): A common bacterial form that is often the cause of epidemic meningitis.
• Outbreak (n): A sudden increase in occurrences of a disease. An outbreak can become an epidemic.

Synonyms

• Cerebrospinal meningitis: An older term sometimes used synonymously, emphasizing the inflammation of the meninges and spinal cord.
• Meningococcal disease: This broader term includes meningitis and septicemia (blood poisoning) caused by the bacteria.

Notes on Meaning

• The definition specifies it is "meningitis caused by bacteria and often fatal." This distinguishes it from viral meningitis, which is typically less severe. The bacterial cause (often , , or ) is what makes the disease potentially fatal and capable of causing epidemics without rapid medical intervention and public health measures.

Noun

1. meningitis caused by bacteria and often fatal