Fever
Fever is one of the characteristic signs of all types of meningitis. It develops as a result of an immune system response to the invading pathogen. The immune system stimulates the body’s temperature regulating system and raises body temperature. This is especially common with bacterial meningitis, which is the most dangerous and easily mistaken for other illnesses and common flu. In most cases, fever develops quickly, within 2-5 days after being exposed to the pathogen.
Interestingly, the American College of Emergency Physicians reveals that although there are three common symptoms of meningitis – fever, stiff neck and headache – only 45%-65% of people affected with the infection will be presenting all these symptoms. In 30-40% of the cases, patients meningitis might only have one of these signs and symptoms at a time. This makes it difficult to differentiate meningitis from the common flu and other illnesses and diagnose it in emergency medical settings. To avoid long-term complications and death due to high fever, it is extremely critical to diagnose and treat meningitis as early as possible.