Treatment

Antibiotic treatment

An invasive meningococcal disease can be fatal.

Antibiotic treatment must therefore be administered as soon as possible.

Prophylactic antibiotic treatment for friends and family.

Meningococcal can be contagious and are transmitted during close contact that lasts a number of hours (sneezing, bouts of coughing, kissing, etc.). 

For that reason, it is recommended that some close friends and family of a person affected by meningitis undergo prophylactic antibiotic treatment.


Sciensano hosts the National Reference Centre (NRC) which provides epidemiological monitoring for the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) and Listeria monocytogenes (listeria). The Belgian Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) of Sciensano, together with the European OMCL network, is responsible for the quality control of the meningitis vaccine prior to marketing.

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