The meninges are inflamed in case of meningitis. The disease affects the spinal cord and brain. It is caused due to an infection either by a virus or bacterium. In some unusual cases, it is can be caused due to a parasite or fungus.

Meningitis is quite widespread among young children, under 5 years, those aged between 17 and 25 years and tend to live in close quarters such as dormitories or barracks, and in people over the age of 55 years. People with weakened immune systems due to health conditions like AIDS and HIV are more at risk of contracting meningitis.

In most cases, meningitis is caused by a microorganism which is a bacterium or a virus. These microorganisms travel in the blood to the meninges and then to the cerebral spinal fluid. The white blood cells fight in the bloodstream against the microorganisms, which cause infection. However, white blood cells are not present in cerebral spinal fluid.

After these microorganisms get into the cerebrospinal fluid, the body cannot control the proliferation of the microorganisms. So, the disease enters the delicate parts and into the fluid in the central nervous system.

The immune system starts to fight against the microorganisms and it sends the chemical signals that cause inflammation and obstructs the normal performance of the central nervous system. It can cause swelling of the membranes covering the brain and also increase pressure in the skull. And, it damages the functioning of the brain.

In the last 10 years, the people who are infected by bacterial meningitis have come down by 55 percent. 13000 cases were registered in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the year 1994. An estimated 6,000 people are reported being infected by bacterial meningitis every year in the United States.

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