Symptoms
Meningitis symptoms are very similar, whatever the cause:
- Sudden high fever
- Drowsiness or confusion
- Severe, unrelenting headache
- Stiff neck
- Intolerance to bright light and sounds
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Twitching, convulsions, delirium particularly in children
- A rash of small, irregular purple or red spots all over the body may indicate meningococcal meningitis (see glass test)
Symptoms in infants under 12 months can be more difficult to identify:
- High fever
- Fretfulness, irritability - particularly when handled
- Difficulty awakening, drowsiness
- Difficulty feeding
- Vomiting
- Stiff neck, bulging fontanelle (soft spot on top of head) may occur but not at the outset
