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.
Non-polio enteroviruses are the most common cause of viral meningitis in the United States, especially from late spring to fall when these viruses spread most often. However, only a small number of people who get infected with enteroviruses will actually develop meningitis. Other viruses that can cause meningitis are.