Symptoms of Meningitis

Meningitis can become serious within hours. Anyone with the signs below needs a hospital, not home care.

Common symptoms in adults and older children

• Sudden high fever
• Severe headache
• Stiff neck, especially pain when bending the chin to the chest
• Sensitivity to bright light
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion, drowsiness or difficulty waking up
• Fits (seizures)

Rash

A rash of small red or purple spots that does not fade when a glass is pressed against it can mean meningococcal blood infection. It is an emergency. The rash may be hard to see on dark skin, so check the palms, soles and inside the eyelids.

Symptoms in babies

• High fever, or a low body temperature
• Poor feeding and vomiting
• Constant crying, high-pitched cry or floppiness
• A bulging soft spot on the head
• Stiff body or arching of the back
• Drowsiness or being hard to wake

Viral meningitis

Often a milder picture: headache, fever, tiredness and neck stiffness over several days. It still needs a doctor to confirm.

Go to a hospital at once (112 or 102) if

There is fever with stiff neck or severe headache, confusion, a non-fading rash, fits, or a baby who is very sleepy or has a bulging fontanelle.

Ayurvedic view

Neck stiffness with fever is described in traditional texts. This view is interpretive and does not replace diagnosis or antibiotics.

Key point

Do not wait for all the signs. Fever with neck stiffness or drowsiness is an emergency.

Key point

Not every sign appears in every person. A person who is getting worse quickly needs help at once.