If you notice any of these symptoms in your child, call your doctor and be prepared with this important info:

Your child’s temperature and the temperature-taking method you used. Also, tell the doctor how long it has been since you gave your child fever-reducing medication, such as acetaminophen (e.g. Children's Tylenol), if any.

Specific symptoms. Besides the thermometer reading, describe what your child is doing, such as “she doesn’t want to eat and is very fussy.” Small details, especially in young children, can be very helpful to help your doctor make decisions about what to do next, Dr. Edwards says.

If the doctor diagnoses bacterial meningitis, intravenous antibiotics are given to the child in the hospital. Despite this treatment, about 10 percent of children with meningitis die from it each year. “Even if antibiotics are started very quickly, a child can be overwhelmed by the organism,” says Dr. Offit. Meningococcus is especially stealth because it can make a toxin that invades the bloodstream, killing a child within hours. That’s among the chief reasons why it’s much better to try to prevent bacterial meningitis rather than treat it after the fact. For viral meningitis, doctors typically recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, and medicine to relieve fever and headache.