Meningitis can be a very serious disease that will start out with flu like symptoms. Although it is more common in young children and people over the age of 60 anyone can get it and it can be easily spread through close contact or coming into contact with items such as towels or utensils that a person who has meningitis has used. So what exactly is meningitis and what are the signs and symptoms? Meningitis occurs when the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord become inflamed, which can be deadly and have serious lifetime side effects. There are two types of meningitis Viral, the more common and less serious one that is often mistaken for the flu, and bacterial. Bacterial meningitis is rare, occurs generally in winter months and can lead to death if not treated right away. There are many signs an symptoms that warn you that you may have meningitis that include sudden high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting, sensitivity to bright lights, joint pain, rash. Newly identified symptoms that appear before the classic 13-22 hours include cold hands and feet while you have a fever, and blue color or tint around the lips, abnormally pale skin, and leg pain. Many of these warning signs come on within hours and not all of them need to be present as an indication that a person is affected by meningitis. Of the different signs to look out for two of the most important is a rash and sudden high fever. A skin rash, reddish or purplish spots, is a clear warning sign that a person has meningitis. If the rash is pressed down on, it will not turn white. This can be a sign of blood poisoning or sepsis which can lead to organ dysfunction and death if not properly treated. One of the newly discovered signs of meningitis was discovered by British researchers and can be identified as early as eight hours after infection. Abnormally pale skin with a bluish tint around the lips and mouth is said to have been noticed in cases of patients with meningitis. Once medical tests are performed and treatment is underway you will be on your way to recover. The important thing to remember is that a person with meningitis needs to immediate treatment if they show the warning signs.