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Causes of Meningitis
Below are examples of bacterial and viral causes
of meningitis
Rollover or click on the different causes for more information
Bacterial
The bacteria listed can cause meningitis and/or
septicaemia.
Bacterial forms of the disease are rare but can be fatal.
Early treatment with antibiotics is vital.
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Meningococcal bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK and can affect all ages. The
most at risk group are children under the age of 5 and particularly
babies under 1 year, the second at risk group are teenagers and
young adults. When people talk generally about meningitis they
are in fact often referring to meningococcal disease (meningitis
and/or septicaemia).
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- Pneumococcal bacteria are the second most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK. Young children and older adults are most at risk
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- Hib/Haemophilus influenzae type b was the
most common form of bacterial meningitis in children under 4.
This type of disease is now rare due to the introduction of the
Hib vaccination in 1992. This vaccine is part of the childhood
immunisation programme and is given to babies at 2, 3, and 4 months.
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Viral
The viruses listed can cause meningitis. Viral
meningitis is more common than the bacterial form but generally
less serious. In mild cases of viral meningitis people may not
even visit their doctor because symptoms can be similar to flu.
In more severe cases signs and symptoms can be similar to bacterial
forms of the disease and patients will be admitted to hospital.
Antibiotics cannot be used to treat viral meningitis.
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Enteroviruses are the commonest
cause of viral meningitis, and can be found in the intestines
of humans, and therefore in faeces and sewage polluted water.
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- Mumps meningitis can result as a complication
of infection caused by this virus. An effective vaccine (MMR) means that cases of mumps are now uncommon.
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- Herpes Simplex usually produces cold sores,
but can very occasionally cause viral meningitis which can be
recurring.
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