Meningitis & Encephalitis

Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency — inflammation of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), classically presenting with the triad of fever, nuchal rigidity (a stiff, painful neck resistant to flexion), and altered mental status, often accompanied by a severe headache and photophobia. Two classic bedside signs support the diagnosis: Kernig's sign (pain/resistance when extending the knee with the hip flexed) and Brudzinski's sign (involuntary hip/knee flexion when the neck is passively flexed). Because bacterial meningitis can cause rapid, severe deterioration and is contagious (droplet transmission for meningococcal meningitis specifically), the nursing priorities are droplet precautions, prompt antibiotic administration (often started empirically before culture results return, since delay worsens outcomes), and close neurological monitoring for signs of rising intracranial pressure or seizure.