Saturday, January 10, 2009

Huh?: Viral Meningitis

The ever-popular "Huh?" series has dealt with some of the increasingly prominent, lesser understood facets of baseball. In honor of Max Sapp's release from the hospital, we turn our attention to...Viral Meningitis.

-It's the most-common type of infectious meningitis found in the United States, an infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord. Viral meningitis can be caused by a direct viral infection or can result from another viral infection, such as mumps and measles, the flu, the herpes simplex virus, the chicken pox virus, and the rabies virus, as well as a number of viruses that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Most cases of viral meningitis are caused by members of a group of viruses known as enteroviruses. The virus that causes meningitis is contagious, meaning it can be passed from one person to another through contact with the saliva, mucus, or stool of the infected person. People with viral meningitis are contagious anywhere from two days to two weeks, depending upon the type of virus that causes the infection.

If you didn't know, now you know.