Meningitis - meningococcal

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Meningococcal lesions on the back

Meningococcal meningitis

Early diagnosis and treatment is extremely important to prevent serious illness or death.

Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone are prescribed and given by an IV (intravenous line). Other medicines may be used to treat the complications due to increased spinal fluid pressure.

Sometimes steroid medication is used, more often in children than adults.

People in close contact with someone with meningococcal meningitis should be given antibiotics to prevent infection. Such people include household members, roommates in dormitories, or those who come in contact with respiratory secretions of an infected person.

The death rate ranges from 5% to 15%, with young children and adults over 50 having the highest risk of death.

• Brain damage
• Shock
• Increased spinal fluid pressure
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart)
• Hydrocephalus (blockage of spinal fluid in brain)
• Deafness
• Paralysis of various muscles
• Mental retardation

Go to an emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if you notice symptoms of meningitis, if symptoms worsen or do not improve with treatment, or if you think you have been exposed to someone with meningitis. Meningitis can quickly become life-threatening.

Review Date: 08/15/2006
Reviewed By: Hilary M. Babcock, M.D., Medical Director of Occupational Infection Control, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's Hospitals; Instructor of Medicine, Infectious Disease Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.