Many different bacteria can cause meningitis. The most common cause in the UK are meningococcal bacteria.
Someone with bacterial meningitis needs urgent medical attention. Knowing the signs and symptoms, trusting your instincts and getting urgent medical help is vital.
What is bacterial meningitis?
- Bacterial meningitis requires urgent medical attention
- There is no vaccine to protect against all causes of meningitis
- Some bacteria that cause meningitis can also cause septicaemia* (blood poisoning)
- People can be left with a wide range of after-effects
*Many medical experts now use the term sepsis instead of septicaemia.
How do you get bacterial meningitis?
- Both adults and children can carry meningitis causing bacteria harmlessly in the back of their throats.
- These bacteria are passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing and intimate kissing.
- Nearly everyone develops immunity as a result of carrying these germs.
- Only occasionally do these bacteria get into the blood stream and cause meningitis or septicaemia.
How do you treat bacterial meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis needs rapid admission to hospital and urgent treatment with antibiotics. If treated promptly, bacterial meningitis is less likely to become life-threatening.
Bacterial meningitis causes
Many different bacteria can cause meningitis, these include:
Who is at risk of bacterial meningitis
- Bacterial meningitis can affect anyone at any age, but is most common in babies and young children
- Babies and young children are more at risk because their body’s defences are not fully developed
- Teenagers and young people are also at increased risk, particularly during the first year at university. This is because they are more likely to be carrying the bacteria that cause meningitis in the back of their nose and throats.
- It’s important to remember that older adults can also get meningitis