The telephone today is a ubiquitous or even obsolete tool of communication and information exchange. When it appeared in the nineteenth century, however, the new tool provided a radical way for individuals to talk to each other, person to person, in real time.
How contagious is meningitis? In short, most bacterial meningitis infections are mildly to moderately contagious person to person, while some viral meningitis are contagious but other types are not. Fungal, parasitic, and noninfectious causes of meningitis are not contagious from one person directly to another.
Meningitis can be caused by a virus or bacteria, and even more infrequently, even by a parasite or fungus. Some types of meningitis can be extremely contagious; for this reason, it's important to rule out meningitis if you have neck pain. If you have symptoms of meningitis, you should see your doctor right away.