Meningitis

Viral (“aseptic”) meningitis is serious but rarely fatal in people with normal immune systems. Usually, the symptoms last from 7-10 days and the patient recovers completely.

Transmission

Different viruses that cause viral meningitis are spread in different ways. Enteroviruses, the most common cause of viral meningitis, are most often spread through direct contact with an infected person’s stool. The virus is spread through this route mainly among small children who are not yet toilet trained. It can also be spread this way to adults changing the diapers of an infected infant.

Enteroviruses and other viruses (such as mumps and varicella-zoster virus) can also be spread through direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions (saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus) of an infected person. This usually happens through kissing or shaking hands with an infected person or by touching something they have handled and then rubbing your own nose or mouth. The viruses can also stay on surfaces for days and can be transferred from objects. Viruses also can spread directly when infected people cough or sneeze and send droplets containing the virus into the air we breathe.

The time from when a person is infected until they develop symptoms (incubation period) is usually between 3-7 days for enteroviruses. An infected person is usually contagious from the time they develop symptoms until the symptoms go away. Young children and people with low immune systems may spread the infection even after symptoms have resolved.

symptoms

Symptoms can appear quickly or they can also take several days to appear, usually after a cold or runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, or other signs of infection show up. Symptoms in adults may differ from those in children:

Testing

Viral meningitis is usually diagnosed by laboratory tests of a patient’s spinal fluid (from a “spinal tap”). The test can reveal whether the patient is infected with a virus or a bacterium. The exact cause of viral meningitis can sometimes be found through tests that show which virus has infected a patient; however, identifying the exact virus causing meningitis may be difficult.

Because the symptoms of viral meningitis are similar to those of bacterial meningitis, which is usually more severe and can be fatal, it is important for people suspected of having meningitis to seek medical care as soon as possible. A hospital stay may be necessary in more severe cases or for people with weak immune systems.

Prevention

• Following good hygiene practices can reduce the spread of viruses, such as enteroviruses, herpesviruses, and measles and mumps viruses. Preventing the spread of virus can be difficult, especially since sometimes people are infected with a virus (like an enterovirus) but do not appear sick. In such cases, infected people can still spread the virus to others.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and often. This is especially important after changing diapers, using the toilet, or coughing or blowing your nose in a tissue.
• Cleaning contaminated surfaces, such as handles and doorknobs or the TV remote control, with soap and water and then disinfecting them with a dilute solution of chlorine-containing bleach may decrease the spread of viruses. This solution can be made by mixing ¼ cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water.
• Cover your cough. The viruses that cause viral meningitis can be spread by direct and indirect contact with respiratory secretions, so it is important to cover your cough with a tissue or, if you do not have a tissue, to cough into your upper arm. After using a tissue, place it in the trash and wash your hands.
• Avoiding bites from mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases that can infect humans.

Bacterial meningitis can be very serious and result in disability or death if not treated promptly.

Several bacteria can cause meningitis, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Listeria monocytogenes.