Intimate or direct exposure includes kissing, sharing eating utensils, or by droplet contamination from nose, throat, or any secretions or excretions from the body of the infected individual. The annual occurrence rate of meningococcal disease in the United States is stable at 1 to 3 per 100,000. Therefore, we may not consider the possibility of contracting meningitis and may ignore early symptoms and signs. It can be deceptive. A person may experience minor cold symptoms for a few days and then progress to severe meningococcal disease in a relatively short period of time.
Meningococcal meningitis can cause an individual to become very ill.
Understanding the characteristic symptoms and signs is critical and could be lifesaving. People who have been exposed to the saliva or oral secretions of a person with meningococcal meningitis may need to take antibiotics to prevent spread of the infection. People who have not had direct exposure to oral secretions do not need to be treated. The majority of patients who are diagnosed early in the course of meningitis illness can be effectively treated with antibiotics and experience complete recovery. Occasionally, a meningococcal infection is overwhelming and defies prompt medical treatment.