Hi Anonymous and welcome to EmpowHER.

The long term outlook for any type of meningitis depends on the exact cause and severity of infection. At the time of initial treatment and diagnosis, a doctor may not be able to determine the tell the exact prognosis and possible recovery outlook.

To get an overview of this condition in children I suggest you read this article Meningitis in Children.

The medical term for water on the brain is Hydrocephalus. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, approximately 700,000 American children and adults live with hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is also the leading cause of brain surgery for children in the USA. The NIH adds that over the past 25 years death rates linked to hydrocephalus have dropped from 54% to 5%, while the occurrence of intellectual disability has dropped from 62% to 30%.

You can learn more about the causes of hydrocephalus and the long term outcome for children born with this, at the following link. What is hydrocephalus?

Thanks for your question and for seeking information. Are you asking for your own baby or for someone else? We hope this has helped, please let us know if we can help further.

Best regards,

Pat