How Protect Teens From Meningitis Risk, According to Doctors

When people think about meningitis, they often think about infants. But while newborns and toddlers are at highest risk for the disease, what many may not realize is that teenagers are also especially vulnerable to bacterial meningitis in particular (also called meningococcal disease), making up 21% of the total cases, per the National Meningitis Association. And while the condition is rare, it can also be life-threatening. 

That’s a devastating fact that Patti Wukovits, BSN, RN, AMB-BC, the co-executive director of the American Society for Meningitis Prevention and Executive Director of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation, knows too well. Her daughter, Kimberly, died from bacterial meningitis at just 17 years old. “I am a registered nurse. I knew about meningitis. I knew the symptoms, the progression, the urgency. And it still happened to me and my daughter Kimberly,” she says. “This is a deadly, unpredictable disease and it’s so important that parents know about it and how they can help prevent it.”

Here’s what to know about meningitis and teens, including why they’re so at risk and how to best protect them from developing the devastating disease. 

What Is Meningitis? 

“Meningitis refers to an inflammation infection of the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord,” says William Schaffner, M.D., a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It happens when a disease-causing microorganism somehow gets into the brain and spinal cord, which can happen through the bloodstream or via an ear or sinus infection.

What Causes Meningitis? 

Many different things can cause meningitis, but most infections fall into two groups: viral or bacterial. Viral meningitis is the most common, and also tends to be milder and often resolves without hospital treatment, Dr. Schaffner says. Bacterial meningitis, on the other hand, is often severe and even life-threatening. And teens are one of the age groups that’s most at risk for the disease — though their vulnerability is often overlooked by parents and healthcare providers alike, according to research in Infectious Diseases and Therapy.

Who Is Most At Risk For Meningitis? 

While anyone can get meningitis, age, certain medical conditions or medications, and exposure all increase risk. 

There are three age groups that are particularly vulnerable to bacterial meningitis: babies under 1 year old, teenagers, and young adults ages 16 to 23, and older adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “If you look at the entire age spectrum, [the risk of bacterial meningitis is highest in [infants]. Then the risk goes very low, then increases in teen years and young adult years, then goes very low again, and then it picks up again when you’re in the 70s and 80s,” Dr. Schaffner says. 

Additionally, American Indian or Alaska Native and Black people are more likely to develop meningitis than other races, a 2025 study in the journal The Lancet Regional Health found. It’s possible that these groups might be more likely to have certain health conditions that could make them more vulnerable to meningitis, according to the Journal of Adolescent Health.

All age groups can contract viral meningitis, which is much more common and less dangerous than bacterial meningitis. But Dr. Schaffner says that teens may be more likely to develop this type, although children under age 5 and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk, per the CDC. 

What Makes Teens So Vulnerable? 

Experts still don’t fully understand why teenagers and young adults may be at increased risk of bacterial meningitis, also called meningococcal meningitis, Dr. Schaffner says. But lifestyle factors are likely at least partially to blame. Put simply, teens tend to spend a lot of time together in close quarters. 

The long answer: The bacteria that causes meningococcal meningitis is transmitted through respiratory droplets and close contact. “Teenagers are at heightened risk for a few reasons that are just part of being a teenager. They congregate in close, crowded settings: classrooms, concerts, locker rooms, sports teams. They share drinks, water bottles, food, lip balm, and vapes,” says Wukovits. “The social nature of teen life is also what creates an opportunity for this bacteria to spread.”

New evidence in Molecular Microbiology also indicates that teens’ bodies may be primed to produce more of a short-chain fatty acid that encourages meningococcal bacteria to grow. Teens’ microbiomes tend to contain higher levels of a certain type of bacteria that produce the fatty acid, called propionic acid.

That said, not everyone who’s exposed to meningococcal bacteria develop meningitis. “What happens is that [the bacteria] lodge in what’s called the nasopharynx — in the upper throat, way back there behind the nose. They can live there quietly, not causing any illness. But sometimes they escape that location, invade the tissue, and get into the central nervous system space [where they can] cause meningitis,” Dr. Schaffner says. But experts don’t know why some people develop meningitis and so many others don’t, he says. 

How to Protect Teens from Meningitis

Since meningitis can be fatal, experts urge parents and young adults to focus on prevention and awareness. Here’s what to know.

Get Vaccinated. 

The best way to prevent meningitis is to stay up to date with vaccines. Between 1998 and 2007, cases of bacterial meningitis dropped by about 31%, largely due to the development of vaccines that protected against certain strains of meningitis-causing bacteria, The Lancet Regional Health reports. 

Cases have increased again since 2021, but people ages 30 to 60 are being disproportionately affected rather than teens. And many of the adults who contracted the disease weren’t up to date with the meningitis vaccinations, further underscoring the importance of immunizations. 

Infants are given the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against a certain strain of meningitis-causing bacteria, says Sharon Nachman, M.D., chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. But there are also meningitis vaccines recommended for preteens and teens that protect against the types of bacteria most likely to affect them. 

Right now, the CDC recommends that everyone get the MenACWY vaccine at 11 or 12 years old, with a booster at 16 years old, per the CDC. This protects against four “serogroups” or types of bacteria, including ones more likely to affect teens: A, C, W, and Y.

But there is an additional vaccine that protects against another serogroup, B. Right now, the CDC only recommends certain high-risk groups get the MenB or MenABCWY vaccine. But you can talk to your child’s doctor to see if it’s a good option for them — something that Wukovits strongly recommends. 

“My daughter Kimberly had been vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis. But the vaccine she received only protected against serogroups A, C, W, and Y, not serogroup B (e.g., Meningitis B). I was under the false impression that she was fully protected when, in fact, she was not,” she says. When Kimberly died, the MenB vaccine wasn’t available. But, Wukovits says, “It is available now.” She says all parents should ask their healthcare provider if their child is vaccinated with both the MenACWY and MenB vaccines. 

These vaccines are well-established and widely used, and are directly responsible for the rarity of bacterial meningitis in the U.S., Dr. Schaffner says. But, he adds, “Vaccines don’t prevent disease. Vaccinations prevent disease.” In other words: You have to remain up to date with your vaccines to enjoy the protection. 

Learn the Key Symptoms 

Since bacterial meningitis moves so quickly, it’s important to be familiar with the symptoms; getting help early can make a life-or-death difference. Dr. Schaffner says a severe headache coupled with a fever of over 101 degrees F is a red flag sign to get to a doctor immediately. “A purplish rash, one that does not fade when you press a glass against it, is a medical emergency. Go to the ER immediately,” adds Wukovits. That said, not everyone with meningitis develops this rash.

Other symptoms to watch for include: a stiff neck, confusion, inability to stand or walk, light sensitivity, and a rash that does not fade under pressure (so if you press a glass against it, the rash remains visible). 

Understand How It’s Spread

Just spending time in close quarters with other young adults likely increases teens’ likelihood of meningitis, so it’s crucial to stress the importance of minimizing unnecessary, risky behaviors. “Teach your teens not to share drinks, utensils, or anything that comes into contact with their mouths,” Wukovitz says. 

Know How to Handle Exposure

If your teen has been around someone who’s later diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, it’s worth visiting a doctor as quickly as possible. They may recommend starting a prophylactic course of antibiotics, which can be very effective at preventing the disease, Dr. Schaffner says. 

But ultimately, prevention through vaccination is the single most impactful step you can take to protect your family. “An ounce of prevention will be better than playing catch up with antibiotics,” Dr. Nachman says. “Often, by the time we see a child with meningitis, the damage has already happened. And antibiotics won’t make that damage go away.”