• Question: if a new born baby was born with either lukimia or maninjitious can it be cured? And what causes the baby to be born with it, does it involve themother in some way:) ?

    Asked by sugden to Daniel, Derek, Ian, Phil, Upul on 21 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Derek Mann

      Derek Mann answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Well I am not an expert but as far as I know leukemia and meningitis are not diseases that babies are born with. Meningitis can be caused by either a bacteria or a virus and is curable if caught early enough. Leukemia’s can be caused by genetic mutations in blood cells or by viruses and are more difficult to cure, some childhood leukemia’s have what is called a good prognosis (chance of living for 5 or more years in a healthy state) but others have a poor prognosis with little chance for a cure and obviously this is a very sad and upsetting thing to happen to anyone let alone a young child.

    • Photo: Daniel Mietchen

      Daniel Mietchen answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      Several kinds of meningitis and leukemia can be cured these days, and every birth so far has involved the mother in some way.

    • Photo: Ian Sillett

      Ian Sillett answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I’m afraid this isn’t my field as I’m a physicist and this would need someone with medical knowledge.

      However, neither leukemia nor meningitis are genetic as far as I know. Leukemia is cancer of the blood and meningitis is an infection so as far as I know there’s no link to the mother. Both are curable, I know people who have survived both. Both also result in death as they are very serious illnesses.

      If you want more information, you will find loads of it on the internet.

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