What Is Viral Meningitis?
Article Sources
- 1. “Viral Meningitis, the Facts.” Meningitis Now, July 2020, Viral_meningitis_fact_sheet_july 2020.pdf, meningitisnow.org
- 2. “Viral Meningitis.” Logan, S. A., & MacMahon, E. (2008). BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 336(7634), 36–40. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39409.673657.AE
- 3. “Viral Meningitis.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/meningitis/viral.html
3. Who Is at Risk for Viral Meningitis?
Infants are more vulnerable to an acute case of the disease. The chance of an individual becoming infected with viral meningitis decreases as a person ages.3“Viral Meningitis.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/meningitis/viral.html As with most viruses, those with weakened immune systems are at a greater risk of developing viral meningitis. It is also more likely to be severe if the immune system is compromised.
Because young children and infants are most susceptible to enteroviruses, children under the age of four contract viral meningitis most often. Enteroviruses tend to occur most often in the late summer and fall, so the rate of viral meningitis also goes up during those seasons. In tropical climates, the rate of both remains fairly constant all year.
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