In comparison to bacterial meningitis, doctors have received little guidance on how to manage viral meningitis
In early 2016 new guidelines on the diagnosis and management of meningitis in adults were published in the Journal of Infection and, for the first time, a section on viral meningitis was included.
The researchers who produced the guidelines noted viral meningitis is becoming easier to diagnose, helping us get a better understanding of how much viral meningitis occurs in the UK.
Under diagnosed and under reported
Despite this, they think it is probably under diagnosed and under reported.
The team also noted that viral meningitis can cause significant after-effects and there are no proven treatments to help people overcome the condition faster than they would without treatment.
Including viral meningitis in these guidelines is a huge step forward in improving awareness of this infection among the medical and research communities.
However, the guidelines also show just how much is left to do and how much more we have to learn.
