We carry them in the back of our nose and throat without ever realising they are there. However, in a few people the bacteria overcome the body s immune defences and pass through the lining of the nose and throat into the blood stream. With septicaemia, the bacteria release toxins into the blood which break down the walls of the blood vessels allowing blood to leak out under the skin. This leaking causes marks on the skin - a rash of red or brownish pin prick spots which develop into purple bruises, blood blisters or blood spots. Septicaemia can make you ill because it also reduces the amount of blood reaching vital organs such as the liver and kidneys.
Meningococcal meningitis is the more life-threatening form of the disease.
It and septicaemia and Hib meningitis are considered to be contagious. People who get these forms of meningitis or septicaemia are given strong medication while in hospital to kill the bacteria which cause meningitis. So someone who has recently recovered from meningitis will not be carrying the bacteria which cause these diseases. About 5 people in every 100,000 of the population will be affected by meningococcal disease each year. At least 95 per cent recover from meningococcal meningitis, but the recovery rate in patients with meningococcal septicaemia can be as low as one in two, depending on the severity of the disease.