Meningitis is an acute infectious disease, arising from infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord by one of several microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Recovery from meningitis has long been associated with severe neurological and/or cognitive deficits, including hearing impairment, epilepsy, motor impairments and learning disability. Those surviving without obvious or severe deficits have traditionally been considered to make a complete recovery. This view has recently been challenged by evidence that subtle cognitive, academic or behavioural problems may persist years after recovery from the disease.

Overview

Most research studies on impairments associated with meningitis have examined bacterial meningitis. Acute bacterial meningitis is one of the most common infections of the central nervous system (CNS). In more developed countries, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitides are the most common pathogens responsible for community-acquired bacterial meningitis. Haemophilus influenzae meningitis has almost been eliminated due to the Hib vaccination. Bacterial meningitis is 10 times more common in children from less developed than more developed countries and the case fatality rate is higher, partly due to the prevalence of HIV infection, which makes children more prone to invasive bacterial infections (Molyneux et al., 2003). In sub-Saharan Africa, the ‘meningitis belt’, an area stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east with a population of 300 million people, is also subject to recurring epidemics of meningococcal disease, primarily due to the serogroups N. meningitidis A, C and W135.