Parenting Club

9 - 18 Months: Meningitis and Septicaemia

Meningitis and septicaemia: the need-to-know facts

Your at-a-glance guide to the symptoms
What can I do to protect my child?
Where can I find out more?

Both infections are rare but they strike scarily quickly. Here’s how to spot the warning signs

Meningitis and septicaemia are very serious infections, especially in babies and toddlers. Of the two, perhaps meningitis is the better known (and most feared) but both infections can actually be caused by the same bugs – and, if you’re very unlucky, you can get both infections at once.

The bugs in question are usually viruses or (more seriously) bacteria, and they attack the lining of your brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or poison your blood (septicaemia) – or both. Most people who get meningitis and/or septicaemia do recover but they do need urgent treatment in hospital first.

Thankfully, cases of meningitis and septicaemia are rare – about 3,000 every year – but children under five are more vulnerable to these infections because their immune systems are not so strong.

Meningitis or septicaemia have different sets of symptoms (see Your at-a-glance guide to the symptoms, below), so it’s very important to be aware of them, especially as they can come on very rapidly indeed. If your baby has any of the key signs below, seek medical help immediately.

Your at-a-glance guide to the symptoms

These symptoms can appear in any order, not everyone gets all of them and, as you can get septicaemia and meningitis together or separately, you may see a mixture of both sets at once. The symptoms can also appear very suddenly, so, if your child seems ill, it’s important to check her regularly. If you do notice any of these symptoms, particularly the ones marked with an asterisk, call your GP or 999, or take your child to A&E.

Symptom: Fever/vomiting

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Refusal to eat/feed

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Dislike of being handled

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Perishingly cold hands and feet/shivering*

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Pale blotchy skin*

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Rapid or unusual breathing

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? No

Symptom: High-pitched, moaning cry (babies only)

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Unusually stiff and jerky or floppy body

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Sleepy/vacant/difficult to wake

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Rash that doesn’t fade when pressed with a glass (not present in all cases)

Possible sign of septicaemia? Yes
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Stiff neck (but unusual in small children)

Possible sign of septicaemia? No
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Dislike of bright light  (but unusual in small children)

Possible sign of septicaemia? No
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Tense or bulging fontanelle (soft spot on top of baby’s head)

Possible sign of septicaemia? No
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

Symptom: Seizures/fits

Possible sign of septicaemia? No
Possible sign of meningitis? Yes

What can I do to protect my child

You can have your child vaccinated against Hib meningitis with the five-in-one vaccine, against Group C meningococcal disease with the MenC vaccine and against pneumococcal disease with the new pneumococcal vaccine. There are, as yet, no vaccines against the Group B meningococcal bacteria – the main cause of meningitis and septicaemia in the UK.

Where can I find out more
  • Call the Meningitis Research Foundation’s 24-hour helpline on 0808 800 3344 (UK); 1 800 413344 (ROI). Or go to www.meningitis.org
  • Visit www.immunisation.nhs.uk or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 (UK only)