2003 Silver Medal International Summit Creative Award and 2003 Gold Medal Australasian Video Awards.

This is a survival video for parents, teachers, students, and health professionals. An award- winning educational video that is a comprehensive and practical guide to meningococcal disease—clearly explaining how to recognise the symptoms, what to do, and what precautions to take against this deadly disease. Essential to learn about the symptoms of meningitis for self- protection and helping others. (Aquarius Health Care Videos press release, March 24, 2004)

When this reviewer heard the first few minutes of Fighting Meningococcal Disease, he was reminded of the classic comment, “England and the United States are two countries separated by the same language.” Similar comments might be made about Australia and the United States. Fighting Meningococcal Disease is an Australian production. The speakers have Australian accents and use Australian terms and vernacular expressions. Words are projected with Australian spellings. Most Americans do not know what it means to “take a couple of Panadol” [1] or what happened when the speaker “packed him up.” Other expressions, such as “straight away” or “straight off to hospital,” may be understood by segments of an American viewing audience who have experienced Australian or British speech through travel, the cinema, or television shows.

Additionally, often the speakers in Fighting Meningococcal Disease are soft spoken and are the real-life mothers, caregivers, or relatives of victims of meningococcal disease. Their voices sometimes fade off toward the end of sentences; sometimes their voices begin sentences faintly. They are speaking of personal, emotional, and medical events. Combining the technical challenges of softly spoken words in a video presentation with the aural novelty of language and speech pattern differences means many US viewers will find it hard to understand the Australian vernacular. US viewers may not get the best benefit from Fighting Meningococcal Disease.

The potential audience includes the public and health care providers. While the physicians, nurses, and emergency medical services providers among the audience can use this video as a review of the topic, the public will see more information than they can absorb in one viewing. Fighting Meningococcal Disease presents important clinical information, intended for a broad audience, as outlined in the press release above.

This video tells the stories of individuals involved in meningococcal disease. Some patients survive; some die. Some recover quite well, while others suffer quite debilitating effects. All of the stories are moving and reinforce two major points in diagnosing and treating meningococcal disease:

time is of the essence, and

The video presents the evidence of meningococcal disease (e.g., about 3,000 cases per year in the United States), describes the clinical nature of the infection, and uses real-life interviews to illustrate the course of the disease. It gives the prognosis (10% die, 20% suffer permanent disabilities, 70% recover) and the present therapeutic treatments. Victims, family members, physicians, and health care providers speak of this frightening medical condition but point out that “aggressive early treatment of meningococcal disease can reduce mortality.” Prompt recognition of symptoms and prompt “treatment of the complications of septicemia and meningitis, appropriate ongoing intensive care where necessary, and adequate management of multiple organ failure” may be called for to “improve the prospects for survival” [2].

The Nova television program and WGBH, Boston, Massachusetts, produced and broadcast Killer Disease on Campus. This 2002 video recording (60 minutes, 1/2-inch, VHS) helped bring the potential dangers of meningitis to the attention of the US television audience. Because the results of the disease can be so swift and devastating, the story holds the viewer's attention. Fighting Meningococcal Disease is a timely addition to the collection of videos devoted to the topic. The US National Library of Medicine (NLM) lists video recordings since the 1970s on meningococcal meningitis and related conditions.

LocatorPlus shows a video recording of a similar title and description (NLM Unique ID 101212241, Fighting Meningococcal Disease). NLM attributes production to Aquarius Health Care Videos, a Media One production. NLM lists Clayton Golledge in the author field and a copyright date of 2004. The video recording reviewed here lists Kay Stammers as producer-director and MediaOne P/L, Sydney, Australia, copyright date 2003. Opening credits also show 2003 as the year for the medals awarded the video recording.