Information on Meningococcal Meningitis

Meningococcal disease is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, a common bacterium that can be present in the throat and nose of healthy people. For reasons that are not well understood, sometimes the bacteria invade the body to infect the lining of the brain (causing meningitis) or the bloodstream (meningococcemia). These invasive diseases are characterized by rapidly, worsening conditions that are sometimes fatal unless recognized and treated promptly. Brain damage, hearing loss, limb damage, or kidney failure can also occur.

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