These are some of the most commonly asked questions concerning meningitis, according to the Meningitis Foundation of America . Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining which surrounds the brain, called meninges, and the fluid in a person's spinal cord.
Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous and is sometimes fatal.
It is, however, rare. The last figures published by the Centers for Disease Control showed a total of 12,992 cases reported in 1994. It is fatal in about 10 percent of all cases. Viral meningitis is much more common, but it's impossible to quote accurate figures because many mild cases may not even be reported. The bacteria that cause meningitis live in the back of most of the and throat region and are carried at any given time by between 10 percent and 25 percent of the population.