ABSTRACT
Meningitis, specifically bacterial meningitis, remains a major concern for physicians treating children because of the high mortality if untreated, as well as the significant morbidity even when diagnosed and treated early. With the development of the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine, there has been a striking decrease in the number of pediatric meningitis victims. Meningitis is defined as the occurrence of inflammation of the meninges, evidenced by increased cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the simultaneous identification of infection from CSF or blood culture. It is worth remembering that bacteria, particularly Neisseria meningitidis, may be isolated from CSF even though it appears normal.
