Why is meningitis so dangerous

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Nominate yourself here ». Customize This Lesson. If you have already signed into ted. Your name and responses will be shared with TED Ed. Here's how. Want a daily email of lesson plans that span all subjects and age groups? Learn more. Why is meningitis so dangerous? In , thousands of people gathered in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. But what started out as a celebration led to a worldwide health crisis: more than 2, cases of meningitis broke out, spreading across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.

How did it spread so quickly and what makes meningitis so dangerous? Melvin Sanicas examines how the disease affects our bodies. Learn More. Additional Resources for you to Explore.

In medicine, the suffix -itis usually signifies that a certain part of the body is experiencing inflammation, which is a defense mechanism to protect the body from infection or injury. For example, colitis is inflammation of the colon, tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils, and laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx.

Meningococcal disease is any illness caused by a type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis. These illnesses are serious and include meningitis and bloodstream infections septicemia. More about meningococcal disease…. Get clinical disease information, as well as vaccine recommendations and vaccination resources, for common causes of meningitis. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Bacterial Meningitis. Viral Meningitis. Fungal Meningitis. Parasitic Meningitis. Amebic Meningitis. Non-Infectious Meningitis. Bacterial meningitis usually needs to be treated in hospital for at least a week.

Viral meningitis tends to get better on its own within 7 to 10 days and can often be treated at home. Getting plenty of rest and taking painkillers and anti-sickness medication can help relieve the symptoms in the meantime. Viral meningitis will usually get better on its own and rarely causes any long-term problems. Most people with bacterial meningitis who are treated quickly will also make a full recovery, although some are left with serious long-term problems.

Overall, it's estimated up to 1 in every 10 cases of bacterial meningitis is fatal. Find out more about the complications of meningitis.