Overview
Meningitis is an infection of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis can kill within hours, and northern Nigeria lies in the African meningitis belt where dry-season outbreaks occur. Fever with a stiff neck and severe headache is an emergency — go straight to hospital.
Symptoms
- High fever
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck — pain bending the head forward
- Sensitivity to light
- Vomiting
- Confusion or drowsiness
- Convulsions
- In infants: poor feeding, high-pitched cry, bulging soft spot
Causes & risk factors
- Bacterial infection (meningococcus, pneumococcus, others)
- Viral infections (usually milder)
- Dry, dusty harmattan season aiding spread in the meningitis belt
- Crowded living conditions
- Weakened immunity
Treatment & self-care
Suspected meningitis needs immediate hospital treatment with intravenous antibiotics — delay of even hours costs lives and brains. Doctors confirm with a lumbar puncture and treat close contacts preventively when indicated. Meningitis vaccines, given in campaigns and routine immunisation, prevent the major epidemic strains.
See a doctor urgently if
- Fever with stiff neck or severe headache — go immediately
- Fever with confusion, drowsiness or convulsions
- A rash that does not fade when pressed
- A feverish infant who is unusually sleepy, irritable or feeding poorly
This condition can be an emergency. If any of the signs above are severe or getting worse, go to the nearest emergency room now or call 112 or 199 — do not wait for an online consultation.