Dr Emma Best has a special interest in pneumococcal and meningococcal meningitis in children. Dr Best provides us with a solid understanding of the disease, the difference between bacterial and viral meningitis, and how they clinically present. Dr Best also provides a specialist’s viewpoint of how the disease is treated and the likely outcomes for patients who survive meningitis infections. We talk briefly about the Northland meningococcal disease epidemic and the success of the targeted vaccination programme.