What is Meningitis??

Answer 1

"Meningitis
An infection or inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord (the meninges). It is usually caused by bacteria or a virus.

Meningitis is a potentially fatal inflammation of the meninges, the thin, membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis is most commonly caused by infection (by bacteria, viruses, or fungi), although it can also be caused by bleeding into the meninges, cancer, diseases of the immune system, and an inflammatory response to certain types of chemotherapy or other chemical agents. The most serious and difficult-to-treat types of meningitis tend to be those caused by bacteria."

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Answer 2

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.Knowing whether menigittis is caused by a virus or bacterium is very important because of the severity of the illness and the treatment differ.Viral Meningitis is usually less severe
and resolves without specific treatment.Bacterial Meningitis can be quite severeand may result in brain damage,hearing loss,or learning disability,For Bacterial Meningitis,it is also important to know what type of bacteria is causing the meningitis because antibotics can prevent some types of menigitis from spreading and infecting other people.Before the 1990's Haermophius Influenzae type B ( HIB ) was the leading cause of Bacterial Meningitis, but new vaccines being given to all
children as part of their immunizations have reduced the occurrence of invasive disease due to ( HIB )Today,Strepococuss pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis are the leading causes of bacterial meningitis.
High fever,headache, and a stiff neck are common symptoms in meningitis in anyone over the age of two years.These symptoms can develop over several hours or they may take one to two days.Other symptoms
may include nausea ,vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights,confusion,and sleepiness.
In newborn and small infants the classic symptoms listed above may be absent or difficult to detect,and the infant may only appear slow or inactive,or to be irritable,have vomiting,or feeding poorly.As the disease progresses,patients of any age can have seizures. If you have any doubt immediately take your
child to your doctor. If your doctor is closed,go to your nearest Hospital and go to the emergency room.

Answer 3

Three of my friends died from spinal meningitis about 5 years ago during that epidemic in TX. It was horrible. It moves so fast that sometimes you can't catch the symptoms in time. One of my friend's mom was a nurse (my friend was 18) and he went to with his ear hurting. He woke up a few hours later and was covered with purple blotches. They got him to the ER, he himself ran inside and coded 30 min. later. It is a viral or bacterial infection (depending on what type you are referrng to) and it attacks the spinal fluid. It causes fever, stiffness in the neck, and the blotchiness on the skin along with other symptoms. There are vaccines for 3 of the 5 strings of it and doctors can have success treating it if it is caught early enough. I had to have the vaccine along with my whole family during the epidemic. I hope this helps.

Answer 4

It is a bacterial infection of the spinal fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain (I believe it an be viral or bacterial actually).
It can be fatal if not treated early and some immunization is available for certain types of bacterial meningitis.

Answer 5

By far the best way to answer your question is to tell you to go to Yahoo Search (or your favorite search engine), type in the word Meningitis, and I guarantee you will pull up a full and complete explanation of the subject, enough to keep you reading all afternoon.

Answer 6

strictly defined, an inflammation of the meninges, the tissue lining of the brain and spinal cord. Most commonly a bacterial infection.

Answer 7

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the brain. It is serious but treatable with antibiotics. Two kinds bacterial and viral of the two bacterial is the more serious kind.

Answer 8

it can be a bacterial or viral in fection in your body that can affect the brain if not treated. it starts out feeling like the flu. you get aching in your joints .exp. in the neck and jaw. fever between 100-103 are very common. if no treated fast there is no danger but if left untreated it can cause brain damage or death.

Answer 9

Bacterial infection of the coverings of brain and spinal fluid.

Answer 10

Yahoo Health normally gives a lot of helpful info on medical questions. Here is a link:
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/aa34518