Meningitis | Meningococcal Meningitis

What is Meningococcal Meningitis?

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis and has a potential to cause large epidemics.^2,6 The majority of meningococcal disease cases are caused by 5 Neisseria meningitidis serogroups—A, C, W, Y and B.^2,9 It is a profoundly serious disease that strikes very quickly and can potentially cause death within 24-48 hours. If untreated, it can be deadly in 50% of the cases. In approximately 10-20% of survivors, meningococcal meningitis may leave them with mental retardation, hearing loss and other disability.^2,7,10,11

The two age groups that are at highest risk of contracting meningococcal meningitis are babies younger than 1-year-old and children younger than 5 years followed by a peak in teens.^7,12 Thus, vaccination is recommended.² Talk to your healthcare provider about helping to protect against meningococcal meningitis.

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~:text=Globally2%C20%Meningitis20%aects20%about202.8%, are20%currently20%aected20% in20%Nigeria. Accessed 25 February 2021.