Meningitis means swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs.

They can occur together or separately. Meningitis and septicaemia are caused by many types of germs, but meningococcal bacteria cause the most common casue and dangerous as well.

The risk of getting the disease depends on geographical location. Although meningococcal disease is infectious and can cause outbreaks.

Many of us have this bacteria in our nose and throat without ever knowing they are there, and for most of us this is harmless. We pass the bacteria between each other by close contact (e.g. coughing, sneezing, kissing).

Even when this happens, most of us will not become ill because we have natural immunity.

Although meningitis affects all ages, young children, adolescents and young adultsare most at risk.

People all over the world are at risk of meningitis. The highest burden of disease is seen in a region of sub-Saharan Africa, known as the African Meningitis Belt. Higher risk is seen when people are living in close proximity, for example at mass gatherings, in refugee camps, in overcrowded households or in student, military and other occupational settings. Immune deficiencies such as HIV infection or complement deficiency, immunosuppression, and active or passive smoking can also raise the risk of different types of meningitis.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. This bacterium has at least 12 different subtypes. Six of these serotypes, A, B, C, Y, W and X cause almost all invasive disease. The relative importance of these six serogroups depends on geographic location and other factors.

The disease is spread person-to-person through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (e.g., by coughing, kissing, or sharing eating utensils). Meningococcal bacteria can’t live for more than a few minutes outside the body, so the disease is not spread as easily as the common cold or influenza.

The incubation period of meningococcal disease is 3 to 4 days, with a range of 2 to 10 days. Meningococcal bacteria can make a person extremely ill by infecting the blood (septicemia) or by infecting the tissues covering the spinal cord and the brain (meningitis). Because this disease progresses quickly, it is important to be diagnosed and start treatment as soon as possible.

Meningococcus has a relatively short incubation period, ranging from 2 to 10 days, with an average of about 3 to 4 days. Therefore, invasive meningococcal disease has a fast rate of clinical progression. To reduce the risk of infection and potential death, prevention and prompt treatment need to be available to vulnerable populations.

Babies and young children are at higher risk than older children and adults, partly because their immune systems are not fully developed to fight against germs..

Vaccines give excellent protection. Different vaccines are available against different bacteria and their serotypes in different countries of the World.

Yes. Most people recover, but they need urgent treatment in hospital, and some people are left with disabilities or other after effects.

In the early stages, it can be very difficult to tell meningitis and septicaemia apart from other milder diseases. It is vital to know the symptoms and to get medical help immediately.

Yes. Meningitis can be caused by different serogroups of the meningococcal bacterium, by other bacteria such as Streptococcus and Haemophilus, as well as by viruses and fungi. Being vaccinated against Neisseria meningitidis or having had the disease will not protect you against meningitis from other bacteria or viruses.

Yes. The word “meningitis” refers to inflammation of the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord. This inflammation can be caused by viruses and fungi, as well as bacteria. Viral meningitis is the most common type; it has no specific treatment but is usually not as serious as meningitis caused by bacteria.

Viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis in adults and older children. It can be caused by many different viruses, but the most common are the herpes simplex virus (normally the same type of virus that causes genital herpes), the chickenpox or shingles virus (also known as varicella zoster virus), and the enterovirus. Out of these, enteroviruses are the most common.

Viral meningitis presents with similar symptoms to bacterial meningitis such as fever, headache, dislike of lights and neck stiffness. It can present with a rash, but this is normally quite different to the rash seen in bacterial meningitis with meningococcal disease. Viral meningitis is almost never life-threatening.

Bacterial meningitis is less common than viral, but it can still happen to anyone of any age. Many different bacteria can cause meningitis but the most common worldwide are meningococcal, pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenzae. Bacterial meningitis can occur alongside sepsis, which is the more life-threatening form of the disease and often involves the bacteria invading the blood as well. Sepsis can occur with or without bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis and sepsis are serious, life-threatening illnesses. The first symptoms are often non-specific and include fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell. Limb pain, pale skin, and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion.

To determine whether a person is suffering from viral or bacterial meningitis, doctors will have to perform a lumbar puncture. This involves collecting a fluid sample of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord to find out what is causing the meningitis. If the results of the lumbar puncture identify a specific virus or bacteria then the diagnosis is clear. Often, however, the specific bug / pathogen is not identified and the doctor will need to rely on several ‘clues’ in the CSF such as the levels of white cells, protein and glucose to decide. If they are unsure they will normally opt to treat for bacterial meningitis, ‘just in case’.

It is important to know whether the cause is viral or bacterial as this will determine how to treat the patient. In bacterial meningitis antibiotics are essential but in viral meningitis antibiotics will not be effective.

Patients with viral meningitis may feel quite unwell for a while after the illness, with symptoms of fatigues, headache and anxiety. However, viral meningitis almost never kills people. Bacterial meningitis on the other hand can be rapidly fatal or cause devastating after effects, so it is important to treat these cases with antibiotics as soon as possible.

Individuals who have been exposed to a person with bacterial meningitis can be protected by being started on a course of antibiotics immediately (ideally within 24 hours of the patient being diagnosed). This is usually recommended for household contacts and children attending the same day care or nursery school. Older children and adults (e.g., who are in the same school) aren’t usually considered exposed unless they have had very close contact with the infected person (e.g., kissing or sharing a glass). In addition to the antibiotic treatment, vaccination may be recommended for people 9 months of age and older against meningococcus serogroups A, C, Y, W and X as a preventive measure.

Like many other bacterial infections, meningococcal disease acquired by the mother during pregnancy can cross the placenta and infect the foetus, thereby affecting the brain and development of the foetus, putting the child at risk of cognitive disorders and other postnatal complications.

Immunity against meningococcus can be acquired passively through the placenta from a mother who has previously been infected or vaccinated. However, previous studies have shown that although there was passive transfer of meningococcal antibodies from mother to child, the passive transfer was irregular and did not guarantee immunity against meningococcal disease in children.

Therefore, only vaccinating pregnant women is not an effective strategy for preventing meningococcal disease in infants and children; both the mothers and the children need to be vaccinated separately.

It is common for N. meningitidis to be present in the human pharynx. In fact, between 5% and 24% of adolescents and young adults can carry meningococcus in the nasopharynx. However, meningococcal disease occurs when the bacterium progresses from invading the nose and throat to invading deeper mucosal layers. The bacterium is then able to rapidly multiply and cause harm to the nervous system. In 10%–20% of cases, N. meningitidis may also enter the bloodstream, causing meningococcemia (a bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by Neisseria meningitidis). Additionally, it is possible to have both meningococcal meningitis and meningococcemia at once, in which case the bacteria invade the blood 24–48 hours in advance of invading the spine and the brain.

According to the 2024 WHO position paper on meningococcal vaccines, co-administration of Men5CV with vaccines for measles, rubella, and yellow fever, given at different anatomical sites, has been evaluated and found to be acceptable. No evidence exists for co-administration with other vaccines, including with inactivated polio vaccine, malaria vaccine, and typhoid, pneumococcal conjugate or human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. When meningococcal vaccines are co-administered with other vaccines, they need to be injected with a different, sterile syringe in a different injection site on the body.

All meningococcal vaccines have an excellent safety record. No serious adverse effects have been found, either during clinical trials or in post-marketing surveillance. Redness, swelling, and pain at the site of injection may occur and are adverse effects usually associated with other vaccines as well.

Yes, WHO recommends meningococcal vaccination for all individuals suffering from immunodeficiency, including asplenia, terminal complement deficiencies, or advanced HIV infection.

According to the 2024 WHO position paper on meningococcal vaccines, there are very limited data on the safety and immunogenicity of Men5CV in pregnant and lactating women. To date, despite limited data, no safety signals of concern have been identified through post-licensure surveillance of multivalent meningococcal vaccines (ACWY) in pregnant women. If the epidemiological situation justifies and necessitates mass vaccination, pregnant women should be included if they fall within the age range targeted by mass vaccination campaigns.

Due to several reasons, such as a weakened immune system, a person who is infected with meningococcus should wait he/she has completely recovered before taking any vaccines. Meningococcal vaccines are not recommended while there is an active infection. Unlike viral infections, the body does not create long term memory immunity against bacterial infections, meaning that bacterial infections, like meningococcal disease, may recur in the future after initial infection. There is an immune response of unknown duration that follows clinical and subclinical infections and which increases with age. Therefore, it is recommended for meningococcal disease survivors to receive the appropriate meningococcal vaccine, depending on which serogroup(s) presents the greatest risk of infection at that specific time and place/country. This includes the serogroup that they were infected with, in addition to any other serogroup that may be circulating in the community/country.

People who have had any allergic reactions after a previous dose or have an allergy to any component of the vaccine are discouraged from receiving meningococcal vaccines. Additionally, people who are moderately or severely ill should wait until they are healthy again before taking any vaccines.

No, meningococcal disease is dangerous in all age groups. Meningococcal disease mainly affects young childen, adolescents and young adults. Even with early diagnosis, 5%–10% of patients die typically within 24 to 48 hours after the onset of symptoms. If left untreated, up to 50% of cases may die. Meningococcal disease can also lead to sequelae in 10%–20% of survivors. These complications include brain damage, hearing loss, or intellectual impairment.

No, meningococcal vaccines do not cause meningococcal disease. On the contrary, meningococcal vaccines protect vaccinated individuals from contracting meningococcal disease (manifested as meningitis, meningococcemia, or both). Meningococcal disease can only be caused by the bacterium N. meningitidis. Meningococcal vaccines do not contain any bacteria; they are only made of the capsule polysaccharide or capsule protein of the bacterium.

Since meningococcal disease is transmitted by direct contact (person to person) and nasopharyngeal secretions (droplets), it is possible for meningococcal disease to spread from an infected person by casual contact (such as shaking hands), since the hands can come in contact with nasopharyngeal secretions (droplets). To avoid infection, it is best to keep your distance from meningococcal patients until they complete treatment. If you have been in close contact with a meningococcal patient, please consult your primary care physician regarding taking prophylactic medications as a preventative measure.

According to WHO, it is recommended that all previously vaccinated adolescents receive a booster dose of multivalent conjugate vaccine at 16 years of age, especially for certain high-risk groups (like people with asplenia or complement deficiencies and HIV patients), depending on the epidemiological situation of the country.

When left untreated, the fatality rate due to meningococcal meningitis is high (up to 50%). However, patients who receive timely diagnosis and treatment have lower case fatality rates, ranging from 8% to 15%.