Viral meningitis
Viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis. It is often less severe than bacterial meningitis, and most people recover without treatment.
Viral meningitis can make people very unwell but is rarely life-threatening. The majority of affected people will make a good recovery, but some sufferers may be left with some side effects including:
- Headaches
- Tiredness
- Memory loss
Causes
- Non-polio enteroviruses
- Mumps
- Herpes (which also causes chickenpox and shingles)
- Measles
- Influenza
- Arboviruses like the West Nile virus
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
Risk Population
People of any age can get viral meningitis. However, some people have a higher risk of becoming ill, including:
- Children younger than 5 years old;
- People with weakened immune systems caused by infections, medications (such as chemotherapy), recent organ or bone marrow transplantations;
- Babies younger than 1 month old and people with weakened immune systems are also more likely to have more severe forms of the illness.
Photo by Noam Jordan on Unsplash
Prevention
Vaccines can protect against some causes of viral meningitis, such as measles, mumps, chickenpox, and influenza so it is important to keep vaccine schedules up-to-date.
There are no vaccines however to protect against some of the other causes of viral meningitis, including ones that can be transmitted by insects.
The best way to help protect yourself and others, therefore, is to:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
- Avoid close contact, such as touching and shaking hands, with people who are sick;
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces;
- Stay home when you are sick and keep sick children out of school;
- Avoid bites from mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases that can infect humans.
