\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhat Makes Meningitis So Deadly For Teens & 4 Simple Ways to Address the Risk\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\t\u201cMeningitis, in general terms, is a severe infection involving the brain,\u201d says Sharon Nachman<\/a>, M.D., chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children\u2019s Hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe brain and spinal cord are covered by delicate membranes called meninges. Between the brain and spinal cord and the meninges, there\u2019s fluid known as cerebrospinal fluid. Meningitis occurs when an infectious agent such as a virus or bacteria gets into the cerebrospinal fluid and causes inflammation in the meninges, explains William Schaffner<\/a>, M.D., a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThat swelling can create pressure inside the skull and affect blood flow, leading to headaches, fevers, confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures, according to the National Library of Medicine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c[Meningitis] can be a milder or a much more severe infection, depending upon the nature of the infectious agents,\u201d Dr. Schaffner says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tMeningitis can be caused by viruses or bacteria, and more rarely fungi or parasites, the World Health Organization reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tOver half of meningitis cases are viral, according to the National Library of Medicine. \u201cThe viruses usually produce a transient infection that heals itself. These infections are, relatively speaking, mild,\u201d Dr. Schaffner says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBacterial meningitis can be much more severe. It requires treatments, and even if cured can leave patients with \u201csubstantial disabilities,\u201d Dr. Schaffner says. And this is the type that targets teens and young adults (as well as infants and the elderly), per the Meningitis Research Foundation<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe good news is that bacterial meningitis is relatively rare. In 2006, about 22% of all meningitis cases were caused by bacterial infections, according to the National Library of Medicine research. But since then bacterial meningitis has become less common, thanks in part to the development of vaccines that protect people from the disease, a 2025 study in The Lancet Regional Health<\/em><\/a> shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tMany different bacteria can cause bacterial meningitis. \u201cMeningococcal meningitis is the most common form of bacterial meningitis in adolescents and young adults. [It] is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria meningitidis,\u201d says Patti Wukovits<\/a>, BSN, RN, AMB-BC, the co-executive director of the American Society for Meningitis Prevention and Executive Director of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNeisseria meningitidis lives harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat of roughly 10 to 35% of the population at any given time. In most people, the immune system keeps it contained. But in some, and we still don\u2019t fully understand why, the bacteria breach the blood-brain barrier, enter the bloodstream, and trigger a very serious, potentially deadly infection,\u201d Wukovits says.<\/p>\n \n\tOne reason bacterial meningitis is so dangerous is because it moves very quickly. \u201cMany initial symptoms are mild and are similar to most illnesses: headache, fever, feeling unwell,\u201d Dr. Nachman says. \u201cHowever, these symptoms rapidly progress to severe illness.\u201d In one The Lancet <\/em>study<\/a> of children and teens under age 16 with the condition, most had non-specific symptoms in the first four to six hours of infection, but were close to death by 24 hours.<\/p>\n \n\tShe says later symptoms of bacterial meningitis include:\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tViral meningitis can cause similar symptoms. According to the National Library of Medicine<\/a>, these include:\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tWhile people with bacterial meningitis will get worse over time, those with viral meningitis typically recover. But since bacterial meningitis is so severe and fast-acting, it\u2019s not safe to wait and see how symptoms progress before seeking help.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBacterial meningitis is rare, so unless there\u2019s an outbreak going on in your area, early symptoms can go overlooked. But any delay in treatment can be devastating. \u201cCall 911 or get to an emergency room immediately. Do not wait to see if they improve. Do not wait for a doctor\u2019s appointment in the morning. This is one of the very few diseases where hours, sometimes minutes, can make a very big difference,\u201d Wukovits says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tSpecifically, Dr. Schaffner says that if your teen ever complains of a severe headache and fever of about 101 or higher at the same time, it\u2019s a good idea to visit the doctor and ask about meningitis. If there\u2019s a known outbreak in your area, any sign of illness at all is enough of a reason to at least call your doctor, if not go to the emergency room.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tA purplish rash that doesn\u2019t fade when you press a glass against it is also a red flag to visit the ER, Wukovits says. That said, not everyone develops one and it can be harder to see on darker skin tones, Dr. Schaffner says. So the absence of a rash can\u2019t be taken as reassurance, especially when other symptoms of meningitis are present.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe bottom line is that since bacterial meningitis is so dangerous, it\u2019s never a bad idea to act quickly, even if you\u2019re not entirely sure whether the symptoms you\u2019re noticing are signs of the condition. \u201c[Speak] with a medical provider if your child is not acting the way they usually do. Very often the right answer is being urgently evaluated by a trusted medical provider,\u201d Dr. Nachman says. Wukovits agrees: \u201cTrust your gut. If something feels terribly wrong, act on that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAfter visiting a healthcare provider, they\u2019ll take a medical history and do a physical exam to determine if meningitis is a possibility, Dr. Schaffner says. They may also do a blood test, which can help determine how severe the infection is and what might be causing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBut the only definitive way to diagnose meningitis is via a lumbar puncture, he says. A physician will insert a needle between two vertebrae to collect cerebrospinal fluid, which will then be sent to a laboratory to test for the bacteria that can cause meningitis, Dr. Schaffner says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tA lumbar puncture can rule out other causes for the symptoms, such as viral meningitis, he says. It can also help determine the type of bacteria that\u2019s causing the meningitis, which can help your medical team choose the best targeted treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tSince meningitis moves so quickly, while you wait for those results to come back your physician will likely begin you on antibiotics \u2014 the standard treatment for bacterial meningitis \u2014\u00a0and set up supportive care, such as an IV, blood pressure monitoring, and breathing support if needed, he adds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cPrevention is where we have the gold star,\u201d Dr. Schaffner says. \u201cThere are vaccines that will prevent these kinds of meningococcal infections, and as a consequence, this very scary kind of meningitis, which when I was a younger physician was moderately common, is distinctly rare now in the United States. That\u2019s a terrific advance, and it\u2019s related entirely to the development of effective vaccines and their widespread implementation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s a meningitis vaccine<\/a> (the pneumococcal vaccine) that\u2019s given to infants, but for teens, the meningitis vaccine that\u2019s most widely recommended is MenACWY, which protects against four serogroups (types) of bacteria. There\u2019s also the MenB vaccine<\/a>, which protects against serogroup B, a type of bacteria that\u2019s responsible for about a third of all cases of meningitis in the U.S., per the National Meningitis Association<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Sick](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tWhat Is Meningitis?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tWhat Are the Types of Meningitis?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tWhat Are the Symptoms of Bacterial Meningitis?\t<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\tWhat Should You Do If You Think Your Teen Has Meningitis?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tHow Is Meningitis Diagnosed?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tHow Can You Prevent Meningitis?\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n