Signs and Symptoms of Meningitis

                      Note !! Meningitis is a 911 Emergency!!
                           Seek Medical Help Immediately!

Some early signs of the disease are unrelenting fever, leg pain, cold hands & feet & abnormal skin color. These signs or symptoms  can develop within (12 hours) after infection and long before the more classic signs of the illness such as a rash, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and impaired consciousness or death. The below is what the meningitis rash can look like.
It may also look like pinpricks and is smooth below the skin.

     
 
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Symptoms can appear quickly or they can also take several days to appear, usually after a cold or runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, or other signs of infection show up. Symptoms in adults may differ from those in children:
  • Common in infants
    • Fever
    • Irritability
    • Poor eating
    • Hard to awaken
  • Common in older children and adults
    • High fever
    • Severe headache
    • Stiff neck
    • Sensitivity to bright light
    • Sleepiness or trouble waking up
    • Nausea, vomiting
    • Lack of appetite


Meningitis Symptoms In addition to a stiff neck, can include:
  • severe headache
  • fever
  • vomiting
  • sensitivity to light (photophobia)
  • irritability
  • seizures
  • mental status changes, such as lethargy, delirium, hallucinations, etc.
  • a bulging fontanel in infants whose fontanel or soft spot hasn't closed yet
  • a rash