What Are The Symptoms of Meningitis in Kids?

Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the meninges, three layers of protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 3,000 cases of bacterial meningitis are diagnosed in the United States each year. This condition can affect people of all ages and can be dangerous, even life-threatening. However, with a timely diagnosis and early treatment, most children and adults with meningitis can be successfully treated. Please keep reading to find out the symptoms of meningitis in children so that you can get medical care right away if your child shows signs of this serious illness.

What changes happen in the brain and spinal cord of kids with meningitis?

Meningitis is an umbrella term for infectious diseases involving the membranes called meninges and the fluid surrounding the central nervous system. When these protective membranes (meninges) get infected, they become inflamed and swollen and press upon the brain and spinal cord. This causes serious problems such as hearing loss, permanent brain damage, and even death. Certain age groups (babies, young children, elderly individuals) and those with weak immune systems are at a greater risk of serious complications from meningitis.

How does meningitis start in kids?

Meningitis starts in kids with an infection caused by bacteria or viruses. Bacterial meningitis is more common and is caused by several different bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Haemophilus influenzae. A bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis causes meningococcal meningitis (also called meningococcal disease). This is a severe infection that can spread quickly and cause an epidemic. Meningococcal meningitis can affect people of all ages but is common in babies, preschool children, and young adults. Drinking unpasteurized milk can cause meningitis by a bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes.

Rarely other organisms can cause meningitis, including fungal meningitis, parasitic meningitis, or amoebic meningitis.

Germs that cause meningitis spread from person to person. A child can catch a bacterial or viral infection by inhaling respiratory droplets or touching the mucus or saliva of an infected person through coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing eating utensils. The germs make their way from the child’s nose and throat through the bloodstream to the meninges. Rarely, a sinus infection can spread to the brain, or meningitis can be a complication of brain surgery.

It is worth noting that while meningitis caused by bacteria is contagious, especially meningococcal meningitis, it does not spread as easily as the common cold or flu. In other words, meningitis requires more lengthy contact to be transmitted.

What is the difference between bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis?

Bacterial meningitis is caused by bacteria and is a more dangerous infection than viral meningitis, which is caused by viruses. Children with bacterial meningitis can develop serious complications such as hearing loss and permanent brain damage. The illness can be life-threatening without quick treatment. Bacterial meningitis is more common in the early fall, winter, and early spring.

Viral meningitis, on the other hand, is a less severe illness with flu-like symptoms that last 3-10 days. It is more common in the summer months.

What are the first stages of meningitis?

The first symptoms of meningitis are often vague and non-specific, such as fever, headache, vomiting, and feeling unwell. The illness can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages.

What are the common symptoms and signs of meningitis?

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, light sensitivity, drowsiness, and confusion. Additional symptoms can include a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, and sore throat.

Viral meningitis causes similar symptoms, including fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, sleepiness, and confusion, but they tend to be less severe.

You should seek immediate medical care if your child has a headache, neck stiffness, pain with forward bending of the neck, and avoiding bright lights (sensitivity to light).

Meningitis can worsen very quickly. Many children have serious symptoms such as lethargy, confusion, seizures, delirium, and coma by the time parents or caregivers get medical help.

What are the symptoms and signs of meningitis in babies?

Meningitis symptoms in infants can include fever, fussiness, high-pitched crying, crying when picked up or moved, lethargy (lack of energy), poor feeding, arching of the back, bulging of the soft spot on the baby’s skull (fontanelle), and convulsions.

In older children, symptoms can include fever, headache, neck pain, back pain, stiff neck, light sensitivity, confusion, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, drowsiness, and convulsions.

How can I test my child for meningitis at home?

You cannot test your child for meningitis at home. If your child has the above-listed signs and symptoms, seek immediate medical attention without delay.

How do doctors diagnose meningitis?

Doctors diagnose meningitis based on a child’s medical history, symptoms, and blood tests. A definitive diagnosis can be made with a lumbar puncture or spinal tap, where a sample of spinal fluid is sent to the laboratory to find out what is causing acute meningitis. The treatment for meningitis depends on the cause.

What is the treatment for meningitis?

Bacterial meningitis requires hospitalization and antibiotic treatment. Viral meningitis can be treated at home with rest, fluids, and acetaminophen to control fever and headache.

Note: Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. They do not work for viral infections. Your child’s healthcare providers can diagnose a viral versus bacterial infection and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

How to prevent meningitis in children?

Meningitis is a vaccine-preventable illness. You can protect your child against meningitis by ensuring they get the recommended vaccines.

The Hib vaccine protects against Haemophilus influenzae type B, which is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children.
The Prevnar pneumococcal vaccine protects against the pneumococcus bacteria, which is another cause of bacterial meningitis.
The meningococcal vaccine is recommended for college students who will be living in close contact with others in dormitories and are at a higher risk of meningococcal meningitis. The vaccine provides protection for 3-5 years but it is not effective against all the strains of the meningococcal bacteria.

In addition to vaccination, children should be encouraged to follow good hygiene measures, such as washing hands regularly and staying away from people who are sick, to reduce risk factors and prevent infection.

If your child has been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, such as a family member, daycare worker, roommate, classmate, or girlfriend/boyfriend, they are at an increased risk of meningitis and should be evaluated by a doctor. Your child’s provider may prescribe antibiotics on a preventive basis before meningitis symptoms develop.

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