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.
Viral infections that get better without treatment are the most common causes of meningitis. Viral meningitis will last anywhere from 5 to 14 days. Infections with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa are the next most common causes, however, meningitis has resulted from non-infectious causes. The types of bacteria that cause meningitis vary by age groups.