Who is most at risk for meningococcal meningitis?
People who have certain medical conditions are at higher risk, including: • Those with complement deficiency (a type of immune deficiency); and • Those who do not have a spleen. Certain other factors may place individuals at higher risk, including: • Exposure to tobacco smoke; • Age less than 4; • Recent cold or upper respiratory infection; and • Household crowding. Many people can carry the meningococcus bacteria in their nose or throat without getting ill. In this way, many people become immune to meningococcal meningitis by adulthood. That is why healthy adults are at low risk for meningococcal meningitis.
