Does meningitis cause fever?

Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Infection is one cause, but non-infectious causes are also possible. Fever reflects the body's response to inflammation or infection, yet fever by itself has many possible explanations. The combination of symptoms, their speed of onset, and a person's alertness are more useful than temperature alone when deciding how urgently to act.

Do not wait for a full set of symptoms before getting medical advice. Check whether the person is alert, breathing normally, and able to drink, and note when the illness began. Avoid giving food or drink to someone who is very drowsy or struggling to swallow. Meningitis requires medical evaluation; treatment depends on the cause and should begin promptly when serious infection is suspected.

Call emergency services for fever with a severe or rapidly worsening headache, stiff neck, confusion, difficulty waking, seizure, repeated vomiting, breathing difficulty, or a rash that does not fade when pressed. Babies may instead be unusually irritable, feed poorly, or have a bulging soft spot. Keep the person supervised and do not drive if they are confused or deteriorating.

What findings make meningitis more or less likely? Does this person need emergency testing? What symptoms should prompt immediate return? Could a medicine or another infection explain the fever?