Science Weekly Meningitis explained: who is most at risk?
Mar 18, 2026
Eliza Gil, a clinical lecturer in infectious disease at LSHTM, gives expert commentary on meningitis and outbreak response. She explains what meningitis is and how bacteria invade. She discusses why outbreaks hit students, the role of carriage and shared vaping, vaccine effectiveness and waning protection, current outbreak control steps, and when contacts should seek treatment.
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What Meningitis Actually Is
- Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or rarely parasites.
- Eliza Gil explains bacterial meningitis involves bacteria from the nose/throat invading the bloodstream then crossing into the meningeal spaces, risking fatal outcomes.
How Meningococcal Infection Becomes Invasive
- Carriage of meningococcal bacteria in the nose and throat is common but invasion is rare and often involves bloodstream spread first.
- Eliza Gil notes invasive disease occurs when bacteria cross from circulation into meningeal vessels, causing dangerous inflammation.
Outbreaks Can Be Driven By Virulence Changes
- Outbreaks may reflect bacteria switching on virulence genes; MenB contains multiple strains with varying invasiveness.
- Eliza Gil says genomic work by UKHSA will check which genes and strain type explain this Canterbury cluster.