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Every year in the United States, thousands of people die of meningococcal meningitis and many more experience serious complications from this disease. Other people may develop pneumococcal meningitis. In both cases, most of those affected are children under the age of 5. Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the membranes (meninges) and fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) surrounding your brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is most often caused by bacteria or viruses. Bacterial meningitis is usually much more serious than viral meningitis.
My name is Sean Cononie, founder of The Cosac Foundation and The Homeless Voice. We now have founded Educating People About Meningitis Inc because I almost died from being misdiagnosed with the flu when in fact I had bacterial meningitis. Because I was left with many disabilities, I researched the disease and found that many children and adults have died because of misdiagnosis, just as I had been. Many doctors do not think a person has meningitis, because there are not that many cases per year. Figures range from 10,000 to 80,000 cases per year.