Can meningitis spread through sharing food and drinks?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a first year engineering student. I share my food with my friends at college every day. I had a stiff neck today. So I researched online and my search leads me to read about bacterial meningitis. I freaked out because I had never heard about meningitis. About its prevention, the article said to avoid sharing foods. Now, what are my odds of getting meningitis? I was severely dehydrated today because in college I forgot to drink water all day and my urine was bright yellow which is a sign of dehydration. Is this causing my stiff neck? And, what are my chances of getting meningitis?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I went through your post.

Firstly, let me assure you that you do not have meningitis because people with meningitis cannot write as you do. It presents with a severe headache associated with vomiting and a very high-grade fever. The headache is so severe that some people bang their head against a wall. So, I hope you get my point. There have been cases reported of meningitis that was caused due to the sharing of food. However, if the food you ate was cooked, then the possibility is nearly nil as most of the bacteria that cause meningitis die during cooking. So, relax. It is just an exhaustion due to the dehydration and nothing else.

Regards.