Meningitis is the biggest fear of all parents. The terror of meningitis has been fuelled by the intense media publicity surrounding the rare but regular cases that occur each year. Meningitis is not becoming more common, but public awareness is much higher now than ever before. To put it in perspective, it is worth remembering that many more children are killed each year from road traffic accidents than die from meningitis.

Meningitis is an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (the meninges). It is caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses, some of which are normally resident in the nose and throat without causing trouble.

The symptoms of meningitis are:

• Feeling very unwell, with a fever
• Severe, throbbing headache
• Feeling sick, or vomiting
• Intense dislike of bright light (even indoor lighting). This is called ‘photophobia’
• Stiff (not just sore) neck, where the child cannot put his chin on his chest
• Babies and young children may be floppy and sleepy. Older children may be unusually drowsy
• A purplish, non-blanching rash (see glass test) is a late and serious sign of the illness

The problem for parents is that all the above symptoms (except possibly the last one) can be caused by common illnesses, including migraine and simple non-serious virus infections.

What to do