Health Screenings Comm. Meningococcemia Signs and Symptoms Sudden onset of flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, vomiting. Stiff neck or tingling in the hands and arms. Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection with Neisseria meningitidis . Blood infections caused by this bacteria without meningitis are called meningococcemia.
Most cases occur during the winter and spring.
Although meningococcal disease is relatively rare, Oregon's incidence is about 2.5 times the national average. In addition, Oregon is the only state where the predominant form of the disease resists immunization. Meningococcemia is caused by an organism that usually lives harmlessly in the noses and throats of as much as 15 percent of the population. In a small number of individuals, the bacterium invades the bloodstream, causing collapse of the circulatory system. Health experts aren't sure what suddenly sends the organism into the bloodstream, but they think respiratory distress or inflammation may begin the process.