Information About Meningitis

There has been a confirmed case of viral meningitis at Riverside Brookfield high-school.

Viral meningitis, also called aseptic meningitis, is an infection caused by a virus. It can cause an infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). People usually recover fully.  It is more common in children than adults, and usually occurs more often in late summer and early fall.

Because different viruses can cause it, it can be spread in different ways. Some of the ways that viral meningitis can be spread include:

• an infected person coughing or sneezing in someone’s face
• an infected person not washing their hands after using the toilet and then preparing food for others; and
• sharing eating utensils with an infected person

Signs and symptoms of viral meningitis include:

• fever
• headache
• stiff neck
• red rash
• drowsiness
• nausea and vomiting

If you or your child have any of these symptoms, call your health care provider, immediately. Your health care provider may want to do additional tests to determine that the infection is caused by viral meningitis, and not by the more serious bacterial meningitis.

CDC – Frequently Asked Questions about Meningitis