If you or your child has any of these symptoms, get treatment straight away. Early treatment is important.

If you have meningococcal meningitis, you may have:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meningococcal disease.
Available at http://www.cdc.gov (accessed on 2 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Medline Plus.
Meningitis: meningococcal.
Available at http://medlineplus.gov (accessed 2 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

²

If you have meningococcal septicemia you may have:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Meningitis Research Foundation.
Meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours.
Available at http://www.meningitis.org (accessed on 17 October 2005).

 

 

 

 

 

³

People with meningococcal disease often get a particular kind of rash. To test whether a rash is caused by meningococcal bacteria, you can press a glass against it. If you can still see the rash through the glass, there's a high chance that it's a meningococcal rash.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Communicable Disease and Public Health.
Guidelines for public health management of meningococcal disease in the UK.
September 2002. Available at http://www.hpa.org.uk/cdph (accessed on 30 May 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

It's important to remember that not everyone who gets meningitis or septicemia has a rash. It's an important symptom, but you shouldn't delay getting medical help just because someone doesn't have a rash.

Babies and children under 2 may not have these symptoms. Instead they may:

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Meningitis Research Foundation.
Symptoms: know the symptoms.
February 2008. Available at http://www.meningitis.org/symptoms/symptoms (accessed 2 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Department of Health.
Parents reminded about signs and symptoms of meningitis.
January 2005. Available at http://www.dh.gov.uk (accessed on 2 June 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

⁶

If you or your child has any of these symptoms get treatment right away. Do not delay. Go to the nearest emergency room or call an emergency number such as 911 right away.

Early treatment, including

 

 

 

 

 

antibiotics
These medications are used to help your immune system fight infection. There are a number of different types of antibiotics that work in different ways to get rid of bacteria, parasites and other infectious agents. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.

 

 

 

 

 

antibiotics, is very important.

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