Meningitis can affect anyone, but is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.
It can be mistaken as the flu or even a hangover, but knowing the symptoms of the potentially deadly meningitis could save your life.
Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord and can be caused by meningococcal bacteria and viral meningitis.
If it is not treated quickly, meningitis can cause life-threatening septicaemia (blood poisoning) and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves.
The two forms of the disease have different symptoms.
Around 3,200 people a year get bacterial meningitis. One in 10 die and many more are left with life-changing disabilities.
Viral forms of meningitis are less common and rarely life-threatening, but can have lifelong effects.
Infections peak during winter when bugs spread more easily in confined spaces.
Meningitis can develop suddenly, here are the deadly symptoms you need to be aware of:
A high fever over 37.5 degrees – the average human temperature
Being sick
A headache
A blotchy rash that doesn’t fade when a glass is rolled over it
Stiffness, especially in the neck
Sensitivity to bright lights
Drowsiness, irritability or lack of energy
Cold hands and feet
Seizures
The classic rash associated with meningitis usually looks like small, red pinpricks at first but it will spread over the body and turn into red or purple blotches.
If you press the side of a glass firmly against the skin where the rash is and it does not fade, it is a sign of blood poisoning and you should get medical help immediately.
The Meningitis Research Foundation has warned the symptoms can easily be mistaken for a hangover.
The charity urged people to look out for the symptoms in family and friends during winter, when the illness is more prevalent.
In the last couple of years there has been a rise in cases of a particularly deadly type among teenagers and young adults – the MenW ST-11 strain.
The fatality rate has been 12 per cent compared to around 5 per cent for other strains of meningitis.
In babies, the symptoms can be slightly different
They may:
Refuse to eat
Be agitated and not want to be picked up
Have a bulging soft spot in their head
Be floppy and unresponsive
Have an unusual, high-pitched cry
Have a stiff body
More than a third of parents do not know the early symptoms of the killer disease.
Research has found 38 per cent of mums and dads wrongly thought a rash is the first sign of the killer infection, when actually the spots only appear when the child is already very ill.
Infections that cause meningitis can be spread through sneezing, coughing, kissing and sharing utensils such as toothbrushes and water bottles.
It is thought that the bacteria are able to invade the body more easily via the nose and throat during winter due to recent infection with flu virus.
There are several vaccinations that offer protection against meningitis which can be given to babies and young adults.
The Meningitis B vaccine is for babies aged eight weeks, followed by a second dose at 16 weeks and a booster at one year.
It will protect your baby against infection by meningococcal group B bacteria, which is responsible for more than 90 per cent of infections in young children.
The 5-in-1 vaccine is offered to babies at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age. This won’t just protect against meningitis, but will also protect against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.
The pneumococcal vaccine is offered to babies at eight weeks, 16 weeks and one year. It will protect against pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis.
Meningitis C vaccine is offered at 1 year of age, and to teenagers and first-time university students. The success of this vaccine means there are almost no cases of that strain of meningitis in the UK anymore.
The MMR vaccine is offered to babies at one year and a second dose at three years and four months. It protects against measles, mumps and rubella, which can lead to meningitis and septicaemia.
Meningitis ACWY vaccine is offered to teenagers, sixth formers and “fresher” students going to university for the first time. The vaccine protects against four different causes of meningitis and septicaemia – meningococcal A, C, W and Y diseases.
Bacterial meningitis needs to be treated in hospital for at least a week where patients will receive antibiotics, fluids and oxygen.
Bacterial cases are the more dangerous cases but if it is treated quickly then the prognosis is good, however, patients can be left with serious long-tem problems including blindness, deafness, loss of limb due to sepsis, problems with memory and concentration, recurrent seizures and problems with co-ordination and balance.
Ten per cent of cases result in death.
Viral infections are less serious and tend to get better on their own within 10 days with plenty of rest and pain killers, but you should always seek medical advice first.
