Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges), caused either by infectious agents (bacterial or viral infection) or by non-infectious processes (autoimmune disorders, cancer/paraneoplastic syndromes, drug reactions). The disease is prevalent worldwide, with at least 1.2 million cases of bacterial meningitis being reported every year. 135,000 of the cases are fatal.
The highest incidence of the disease is found in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.
