Trust your instincts and get medical help.
Meningitis is the disease most feared by parents, who know that it can strike quickly and requires prompt action. Yet many are hazy about the details.
"People are aware meningitis is out there," says Carole Nealon, manager of the Meningitis Trust in Ireland.
"But in a survey last September we were amazed by the number of people who did not know the vaccine their child was getting and did not know the signs or symptoms. They said 'rash' but that only appears with some types of meningitis."
Vaccines that protect against meningococcal group C and Hib bacteria are offered as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme.
However, about 80 per cent of meningococcal disease in Ireland is caused by group B and there is currently no vaccine against this.
Meningococcal bacteria can cause both meningitis and septicaemia. Together these are known as meningococcal disease. Provisional figures for last year from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show there were 255 cases of bacterial meningitis, of which 179 were meningococcal disease. There were 14 deaths, of these one was a child aged under one, and four were aged under five.
"Awareness is key. If people can respond quickly, the quicker antibiotics can be pumped into the child and the better the outcome," Nealon says.
The problem is that the signs of meningitis in the early stages are very generic and similar to flu, such as vomiting, headache, refusing food and raised temperature - it could be teething.
A card outlining symptoms is available from the Meningitis Trust on 1800-523 196. That is also a nurse-led helpline which people can ring at any time of the day or night.
Nealon's advice to parents is: "Trust your instincts. If you suspect meningitis, it's imperative to get medical help."
See also:www.meningitis-trust.ie