Approximately10 percent have serious after-effects of the infection. Some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious. Meningococcal bacteria cannot survive for more than a few minutes outside of the body. Therefore, it is generally not trans-mittable through water supplies, swimming pools, or routine contact. Though meningitis is considered contagious, most people who come into contact with a carrier of meningitis do not develop the disease.
Many infected persons become symptomless carriers.
A person with meningitis is generally no longer infectious after the first twenty-four hours of antibiotic treatment. Signs and Symptoms Symptoms of meningitis are usually sudden and initially resemble the flu. Sometimes a reddish-purple rash develops that looks like bruises, is flat and smooth, does not itch, and spreads quickly. Because symptoms of meningitis can easily be mistaken as the flu, it is important to pay close attention to the progression of symptoms when an individual becomes ill. With the flu, symptoms generally improve after twenty-four hours, and the fever is usually respondent to acetaminophen or ibuprofen.