Influential English guitarist Jeff Beck, who rose to fame playing with the Yardbirds and later fronted the Jeff Beck Group, died on January 10 aged 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis.
Bacterial meningitis happens when germs get into the tissues (the meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The infection around the brain can cause swelling and inflammation that interrupts how the brain functions.
Many types of germ cause meningitis. The most dangerous of these are bacteria, which can be picked up from food that is not cooked properly or can be spread by infected people with a sneeze or a cough.
