Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Can Lumbar Puncture Be Done For Children Showing The Signs Of Viral Meningitis?
So my 5 year son caught viral meningitis and now his 4 year old sister and 10 year old brother have been showing the same signs . My 5 yrs old was hospitalized for 4 days and it came back viral . My question is should I have them get the lumbar puncture as well or assuming they also have the viral meningitis and just treat the symptoms . Because I m almost sure it was the same viral meningitis because they both displayed the low grade fever and complaints of headache and loss of appetite . I took my 4 yrs old to a doctors appointment and she didn t have the fever or the headache when she was seen by the doctor. So I ve been treating her symptoms . So now my oldest is complaining of the same thing so I am assuming it s the same type of viral infection that has spread among the siblings. So what would be your best advice on this matter. I m just a very concerned parent who has lost a 2 year old in 2001 to bacterial meningitis .