Meningitis Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment are different. Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment, while bacterial meningitis can …showed first 75 words of 1059 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1059 total…more aware of meningitis and cases of meningitis can be detected earlier. Some facts: In a year, 4.5 children (per 100,000 population) between 1 month and 23 months will get meningococcal meningitis. The older you get, the more capable your body is of fighting off the infection. Bacterial meningitis is fairly uncommon, but can be extremely serious. It is fatal in one in 10 cases and one in 7 survivors are left with severe handicap, such as deafness or brain injury.