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Most people who get meningococcal disease get better. However, it can be a dangerous illness, and some people do die from the infection. Others are left with a serious disability.

This page talks about what happens to someone who has meningitis or blood poisoning (septicemia) caused by a type of bacteria called meningococcus. If someone is ill because of these bacteria, doctors say they have meningococcal disease.

It's also possible to get meningitis caused by a virus. Meningitis caused by a virus tends to be much less serious than meningitis caused by bacteria.¹ It's an unpleasant illness, but serious health problems are less likely than with meningococcal disease.

If doctors think that you might have meningococcal disease (meningitis, septicemia or both), you'll be treated quickly. You'll be given antibiotics, possibly on the way to the hospital. Once you arrive, doctors will need to do tests, such as a spinal tap. This is when a needle is put into your lower back to take out some fluid and test it for bacteria. You may be treated in an intensive care unit.

About 9 in 10 people who get meningococcal disease will recover.² Sadly, out of people who get better, about 1 or 2 out of 10 will be left with some lasting disability.²

Disabilities can happen because of the damage the bacteria can do to someone's body.

• Meningococcal meningitis causes swelling around the brain. This can cause damage to nerves in the brain.
• If someone has meningococcal septicemia, large numbers of the bacteria grow in their blood. The bacteria release poisonous chemicals that can damage blood vessels and organs.

If the damage is severe, it can cause long-term problems. For example, someone with meningococcal disease may lose their hearing, have some brain damage, or need to have a limb or finger amputated.

Meningococcal disease is a dangerous illness, and not everyone who has it recovers. About 1 in 10 people who get meningococcal disease will die.²

If you've been in close contact with someone who gets meningococcal meningitis or septicemia, your doctor will give you antibiotics. This is to help keep you from getting the disease.

Close contact usually means that, in the seven days before the person you knew got meningococcal disease:^{2 3}

• You lived with the person
• You came into contact with the person's saliva (for example, by kissing)
• You sat next to the person on a long flight (more than eight hours)
• Your child was in daycare with the person.

It's important to get treatment if you've come into contact with someone who has meningococcal disease. But your risk of catching the disease from someone living in the same house as you is fairly low. Without treatment, there's a 1 in 300 chance of getting meningococcal disease after coming into contact with someone who has it.⁴

Doctors sometimes give a vaccine to close contacts of people who get meningococcal disease.

To read more about vaccines, see Who should be vaccinated?

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.