Meningitis is swelling of the meninges (the protective membranes of the brain and spinal cord). The inflammation is usually the result of an infection.
Causes
Meningitis is inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord and can result from multiple causes, including sepsis. However, it is often spread by a bacteria or virus that can live in the nose or throat in some people, without causing any illness. Consequently, actions such as kissing, sneezing or coughing can easily spread it.
While Viral meningitis can be very unpleasant, it is rarely life threatening and most people eventually make a full recovery.
However, Bacterial meningitis is more serious and often life-changing or fatal.
Recognising meningitis can be hard as early symptoms are similar to flu and other common illnesses
Additionally, people who host the bacteria or virus in the back of their noses or throats are asymptomatic, meaning they don’t know that they’re spreading it. Therefore it’s crucial for those in this, at risk group, to be protected against it with a vaccine.
Symptoms of Meningitis (and Sepsis)
- Fever – particularly with cold hands and feet, a headache and feeling generally unwell
- Vomiting, diarrhoea and difficulty breathing
- Floppy, lifeless and drowsy
- A rash. This may not appear for all, but if someone is unwell and you see a rash which does not disappear when pressure is applied to it (the tumbler test) call an ambulance
These symptoms can appear in any order.
Babies and young children are at the most risk for meningitis. However, teenagers are the second most likely to succumb.
The following are symptoms specific to toddlers and babies:
- Pale, mottled skin
- Cold hands and feet
- Refusing to eat/ feed
- Irritable, not wanting to be held/ touched
- Body going stiff and making jerky movements, or becoming floppy and unable to stand up
- A tense or bulging soft spot on the head (fontanelle)
- High pitched moaning
Meningitis rash and the tumbler test
Most rashes disappear when you apply pressure to the skin. However, with meningitis, the rash behaves differently and remains visible when you press a clear glass tumbler over the skin (known as the tumbler test). Do not wait for a rash to appear as symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all. The rash is often the very last to appear. It is vital to get help for meningitis early.
It can be harder to see a rash on dark skin. So be sure to check the soles of the feet, palms of hands, roof of mouth and inside eyelids.
Meningitis can kill in 4 hours.
When to call an ambulance
- lf the casualty is getting worse and you are seriously concerned
- If they have a rash you are still able to see when you apply pressure with the side of a glass.
- If they are seriously unwell and have some of the above symptoms
Otherwise, call your GP. lf you cannot get to talk to the doctor immediately, get the casualty to hospital.
If you are sent home from the hospital or GP surgery and the child gets worse, go back. Trust your instincts and tell them you are worried!
Teenagers
Teenagers are the most at risk group after young children particularly due to the way that meningitis is spread. Teenagers may share vapes, drinks, live in close proximity and are likely to kiss multiple partners. Whilst this is perfectly normal teenage behaviour, it does increase the risk of contracting a disease such as meningitis.
1 in 4 of teenagers aged 15-19 carry meningococcal bacteria asymptomatically in the back of their throats and noses, compared to 1 in 10 of the general UK population.
Data from 2026 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed an unusually large outbreak of MenB menigitis amoung university students in England.
19-year-old Lauren Lowe had sepsis and meningitis in October 2022. Lauren was watching her then-partner play football when she started to feel rundown. She chalked it up to a cold, and the next day developed more of a headache. Then the following day, she felt freezing, but her skin was hot and the headache had worsened. She went to get her hair cut and struggled to stand up and make the short journey home.
Later that day, she went home to her own house, where she phoned her nurse mum who told Lauren to ring 111. After ringing 111, who told her to go to A&E immediately, Lauren fell asleep from exhaustion. Four hours later, she went to A&E, where she was told she had suspected sepsis.
She was rushed into ICU following a near cardiac arrest. Lauren said: “I couldn’t turn over, I couldn’t speak. I could barely open my eyes. l literally couldn’t do anything. I spent a week in ICU and I’d lost around two stone in weight in five days.”
She left it several days before seeking medical attention – and after a difficult recovery journey, she is urging others, especially young people, to know the signs and act fast if they are ever in a similar position.
New MenB vaccine rollout for university students
In response to several recent meningitis B outbreaks, including cases linked to university students, a new one-off NHS MenB vaccination programme is being introduced across the UK in summer 2026. The programme aims to protect those at highest risk, including Year 13 students and under-25s moving into university or residential further education accommodation for the first time in autumn 2026. Eligible young people will be offered two doses of the MenB vaccine, given at least 28 days apart, with the first dose available from July 2026.
Although many teenagers will already have received the MenACWY vaccine at school, this does not protect against MenB disease. MenB bacteria can cause life-threatening meningitis and septicaemia, and first-year university students are around seven times more likely to develop meningococcal disease than their non-student peers of the same age. The MenB vaccine provides protection against most of the strains responsible for disease in the UK and has already been associated with a 75% reduction in MenB disease through the infant vaccination programme. If you or your child are eligible, it is important to arrange both doses as early as possible to ensure full protection before the start of the autumn term. However, it remains vital to recognise the signs and symptoms of meningitis and seek urgent medical help if you are concerned, as no vaccine protects against all forms of meningitis.
Vaccines
The MenACWY vaccine is typically offered to students in year 9 and year 10 in the UK, but anyone up to the age of 25 can receive the vaccine through their GP. It protects against four strains of meningitis. The NHS strongly advises that freshers receive this vaccine before starting university.
Figures from 2023 estimated that 1 in 8 students were unvaccinated. It is vital that parents and students are aware of the risks of meningitis and book a free vaccine from the NHS as soon as possible.
Inda Glennie, from the Meningitis Research Foundation said:
‘It’s encouraging to see that the MenACWY vaccine is working, and important for everyone eligible to get the vaccine. However, teenagers and young adults remain susceptible to MenB disease and are not eligible for routine MenB vaccine, due to low case numbers in this age group since the vaccine was introduced for babies.
The data published by UKHSA has highlighted that students, particularly those living on campuses, have a higher risk of meningococcal disease than their peers. It is essential that students, young people and their families remain vigilant to the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia (triggers sepsis). Meningitis progresses rapidly, so it’s critical to alert someone if ill, and to seek urgent medical advice.’
If you haven’t received the MenACWY vaccine, please contact your doctor and schedule an appointment. It could save your life.
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