Children with meningitis

If you think your child has meningitis, get medical help at once. Meningitis is rare but it is dangerous and although the HIB vaccine protects against one type of bacterial meningitis, there are several forms of the disease which do not have vaccines. However, if it is detected and treated early, the majority of children who contract meningitis make a full recovery.
The symptoms in babies are as follows:

high temperature
refusing feeds, vomiting, high-pitched moaning cry convulsions
difficult to wake
pale blotchy skin or a rash or tiny spots
bulging of the fontanelle (the soft spot on top of the head)

The symptoms in toddlers and older children are as follows:

headache
vomiting
high temperature
neck stiffness (often shown as reluctance to put chin on chest)
pain in the joints
drowsiness
confusion
dislike of bright lights
rash of purple spots or bruises (press a glass over the rash to see if it turns white. If it doesn’t, it could be meningitis.

Remember, not all symptoms appear at one time.