Meningitis and meningococcal disease
Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening infection. It is a term used to describe two serious illnesses: meningitis and septicaemia.
Meningitis is a very serious infection which causes inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord.
Septicaemia is blood poisoning.
These illnesses can:
- come on suddenly
- progress very quickly
- kill in hours, and
- leave survivors with lifelong disabilities.
Meningitis can affect anyone, but is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults. It can cause life-threatening septicaemia and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves. Meningitis can lead to deafness, blindness, epilepsy (fits), learning difficulties and sometimes death.
There are 12 known groups of meningococcal bacteria (Neisseria meningitidis). Meningococcal group B (MenB) is responsible for about 9 in every 10 meningococcal infections in the UK.
Meningococcal disease is caused by several groups of meningococcal bacteria, the most common of which in the UK are groups B, C, W and Y.
Who is at risk?
Everybody is at risk from meningococcal disease, but:
- those aged under 5 are most at risk; and
- teenagers and young adults are the second most at risk group.
Meningitis
Meningitis is infection of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by a variety of different organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. The less common form of the disease, bacterial meningitis, is always associated with severe illness and can be fatal. By contrast, viral meningitis, which can be caused by several different viruses, is more common but usually less severe.
In the UK, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis is infection with the meningococcal bacteria (Neisseria menigitidis) although other bacteria, including those that cause pneumococcal disease and tuberculosis, can cause meningitis.
Meningococcal disease
In addition to causing meningitis, infection with Neisseria meningitidis bacteria can also cause meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning). Meningococcal disease is the collective name given to disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis infection. Disease may present as either meningococcal meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia or as both together.
Meningococcal bacteria are divided into distinct serogroups, according to their polysaccharide outer capsule. The most common serogroups that cause disease worldwide are groups B, C, A, Y and W. Most meningococcal disease in the UK is caused by serogroups B and C. However, the number of cases caused by serogroup C has significantly reduced in the UK since routine vaccination was introduced in 1999 in those age groups targeted for vaccination.
Learn more
If you would like to learn more about the vaccines, or the diseases they protect against a number of information resources are available to help below.
You can also call NHS 111 or your GP practice for advice if you have any questions.
Data
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