People with suspected meningitis or septicaemia (blood poisoning) need to be admitted to hospital immediately, wherever they are.
Bacterial meningitis
Someone with bacterial meningitis will require urgent treatment in hospital. If they have severe meningitis, they may need to be treated in an intensive care unit (ICU). See the Health A-Z topic about ICUs for more information about the type of treatment that these units provide.
Antibiotics (medication for infections caused by bacteria) will be used to treat the underlying infection. These will be given intravenously (through a vein in your arm).
At the same time you may also be given:
- oxygen
- intravenous fluids (through a vein)
- steroids or other medication to help reduce the inflammation (swelling) around your brain
If the antibiotics work well, you should spend about a week in hospital, or maybe less. But if you are severely ill you may need to stay in hospital for weeks or even months.
Meningococcal disease (the combination of meningitis and septicaemia) can cause some long-term complications. See Meningitis - complications for more information.
Viral meningitis
Viral meningitis can either be:
The treatment for both severe and mild meningitis is described below.
Severe viral meningitis
If the symptoms of viral meningitis are severe enough to require admission to hospital, the condition will be treated in the same way as bacterial meningitis with antibiotics.
Once a diagnosis of viral meningitis has been confirmed, the antibiotics will be withdrawn. However, intravenous fluids will be continued to support the body as it recovers.
In very severe cases, where someone is in hospital with viral meningitis, anti-viral medicines may be given.
Mild viral meningitis
Most people with viral meningitis will not require hospital treatment. Viral meningitis is usually mild and can be treated at home with:
- plenty of rest
- painkillers for the headache
- anti-emetics (anti-sickness) medicine for the vomiting
Most people recover within 5 to 14 days.
Infection control
Most cases of meningitis are isolated and the risk of the infection spreading is low.
However, if someone is thought to be particularly at risk of infection, they can be given a dose of antibiotics as a precautionary measure. For example, a young child who has spent a large amount of time in close contact with another child who has developed bacterial meningitis.
