You may have heard about the 17-year-old Long Island, New York, high-school student who recently died of meningococcal meningitis. While tragedies like this are certainly alarming, they shouldn't incite widespread panic. In fact, the disease is relatively uncommon in children. “Thanks to research and new vaccines, it’s very unlikely that your family is going to be affected by meningitis,” says Kathryn Edwards, MD, director of the division of pediatric clinical research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville. Still, because the disease hasn’t been completely eradicated, safeguarding your child is the key to keeping the infection at bay. Here’s what you need to know about meningitis and the best ways to protect your child from it.

What is meningitis? Meningitis is a potentially deadly infection of the meninges, the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord. It’s caused by specific viruses, bacteria, or fungi that get transmitted from person to person by sneezing, talking, kissing, or sharing food or drinks. “The same kinds of bacteria and germs that cause other infections [such as mumps and stomach flu] also cause meningitis,” says Dr. Edwards.

Typically, the meningitis-causing organisms reside in your nose and throat and never cause a problem. “Most people who come in contact with them don’t get sick, even kids,” says Paul Offit, MD, chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Their bodies produce disease-fighting antibodies before the bad bugs invade. Others aren’t so lucky, which makes them vulnerable to the illness. When brain and spinal tissue gets infected with one of these bad bugs, the tissue swells, hampering blood flow to the brain. Depending on the type of meningitis, the results of this brain and spinal cord infection can be serious, leading to permanent brain damage, loss of hearing or limbs, or even death.