Are both the viral and bacterial forms of meningitis contagious?
Yes they are. Meningitis is spread like any infection – through coughing, touching, being in close proximity to others – so if a child is diagnosed, the rest of the family will usually be put on antibiotics too, to try and prevent it spreading. How common is meningitis in Dubai? If you listened to the gossip going around, you’d think that everybody was dying from it, but actually it’s vary rare [there was one confirmed case of viral meningitis in April which sparked a panic among local parents]. I’ve been in Dubai for two-and-a-half years and I’ve only come across one case. We’ve had a few suspected cases here but they’ve all been negative. Is it better for parents to panic or to be more laid-back? Parents should always be aware of these things and know what symptoms to look out for, but I think at the moment people are overreacting a bit because of all the hype that’s going around. People are hearing horror stories and calling us for advice, but when we educate them on the symptoms an
