It can take one or two days for the symptoms of meningitis to start or it can even happen in just a few hours.
Meningitis infects a persons blood and/or infects the spinal cords fluid and around the brain. That is what causes the person to get ill from meningitis.
When you or someone else has symptoms of meningitis you need to get to the emergency room since meningitis is a medical emergency and needs treated as soon as possible for the person to survive.
If not treated meningitis can be fatal.