system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does meningitis always seem to kill people who are college aged and otherwise healthy?

I just read another news story about a college student who died from meningitis. I personally have known a couple of kids who have succumbed to it. Is bacterial meningitis more dangerous than viral meningitis? How come it doesn't kill the elderly and infants as often, or do we just not hear about it?
gpt
Bacterial meningitis is *extremely* deadly, able to kill in less than a day, often under 3 days. You often hear of it in college students simply because they are more exposed to the infection, as bacterial meningitis is usually transferred through saliva. Any age group can contract and die from it.