UAE doctors call for greater meningitis awareness as former Australian cricket star battles disease

Retired batter Damien Martyn is in an induced coma after contracting the potentially deadly illness

Damien Martyn's meningitis diagnosis shows the disease can hit healthy adults, medics have warned. AFP

The UAE public have been urged to improve their awareness of the risks of meningitis, after a celebrated Australian former cricketer contracted the potentially deadly disease.

Fellow cricketers have expressed hopes that Damien Martyn, part of Australia’s highly successful cricket team of the early 2000s, will recover. It was reported this week that he had been put into an induced coma.

Adam Gilchrist, a former international teammate of Martyn’s, said the former batter, 54, who fell ill on Boxing Day, has shown “positive signs” since being admitted to hospital in Queensland, on Australia’s Gold Coast. “He is a fine player, terrific fellow. I just hope he can continue his recovery,” Gilchrist was quoted as saying by Australian media.

Australia 'legend' Martyn in an induced coma after contracting meningitis

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Dr Nishara Asiger, an internal medicine specialist at Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic in Jebel Ali, said meningitis could strike unexpectedly. “The Damien Martyn case highlights that meningitis can affect even healthy adults. Public awareness is crucial in controlling the spread,” she said.

A child receives a meningitis vaccine in California. Bacterial meningitis can attack the brain and spinal cord. Reuters

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord and, when it progresses rapidly, it can become life threatening, Dr Asiger said. Viral forms of the condition are more common, but tend to be less severe and will often resolve themselves without treatment.

The rarer bacterial types typically cause more severe symptoms and patients may have to go into hospital, where treatments include antibiotics, fluids and oxygen.

Dr Asiger described vaccination as “the cornerstone” of efforts to curb meningitis cases. She said people in the UAE should ensure that they and their family members are vaccinated, while also avoiding sharing personal items and washing their hands regularly. She also recommended avoiding contact with the sick.

According to the UK’s National Health Service, sneezing, coughing and kissing can spread infections that cause meningitis. “Due to strong vaccination programmes and excellent healthcare standards, meningitis is relatively uncommon in the UAE,” Dr Asiger said.

Vaccination has reduced risks in many countries, although deaths still occur, with infants, children and young adults often most in danger.

Prof Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia in the UK, has published scientific papers on meningitis and treated patients with the disease when he was practising as a doctor. He said bacterial infection meningococcal meningitis was often the most serious form of the disease.

It can lead to conditions such as gangrene in the body’s extremities, causing doctors to amputate limbs or parts of limbs. That form of the disease tends to be more common in preschool children and adolescents.

Young people going to university have often been at risk, because they are exposed to pathogens they may not have been in contact with before. “When I was practising, there would be regular outbreaks of meningitis in one university or another with fatalities. We have vaccinations now so we don’t see it as often,” Prof Hunter said.

Given that Martyn is in an induced coma, Prof Hunter said it was likely he had a bacterial form of meningitis.

What are the warning signs?

Meningitis vaccinations may begin to be administered when a child is eight weeks old. Several types of shots, some needing second doses and boosters, are recommended to maximise protection against the various forms of the condition.

A key difficulty for doctors dealing with children who may have meningitis is that symptoms may not be specific, Prof Hunter said. “They could just be a bit off, nothing suggesting meningitis,” he said. “It’s treatable if you get it early enough, but because it’s not easy to diagnose early, you don’t always get the treatment in time.”

Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, he said bacterial meningitis could be “an absolutely devastating infection”. The condition can be diagnosed with a lumbar puncture, in which a needle is inserted between spinal bones in the lower back to collect cerebrospinal fluid. This can be tested for bacteria and viruses.

With the meningococcal form of the disease, patients have a rash that, unlike most others, does not disappear or blanch when pressed. The rash can be harder to see on patients who have darker skin. “If you press a glass to the rash and it stays, that’s a bad sign that it could be a meningococcal infection,” Prof Hunter added.

Dr Nishara Asiger, an internal medicine specialist at Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic in Jebel Ali. Photo: Aster DM Healthcare

Dr Asiger said other warning signs included a high-grade fever, headache, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, confusion and drowsiness. Prof Hunter said overseas travel is sometimes linked to meningitis cases, as “anywhere where you mix with new people” can increase the risks.

A vaccination certificate is compulsory for pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia to participate in Hajj or Umrah. Pilgrims are urged to practise good personal hygiene to cut the risk of disease spreading.

“When you’re adult, it’s when you come into contact with new strains that you have not experienced before, particularly in crowded environments,” Prof Hunter said.