Meningitis is a scary disease for anyone.

That's because by the time it's diagnosed, it's often too late. One in 10 children who get the disease die.

So there is real hope that early warning signs will save lives.

Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain or the spinal cord. It can be viral or bacterial, but it's the bacterial form that can be so severe.

Sometimes, a rash will develop, but often not until the infection has progressed beyond the turning point.

Courtney's mom recognized the early symptoms.

"Our doctor checked her over and said it was just her glands were up and reassured me that it was definitely not meningitis and take her home," Tracy Chambers said. "So I got home, I put her in my bed, went to cuddle her, and realized her whole body was aching. She was hurting and then I felt her feet through the duvet, which was ice cold."

The Meningitis Research Foundation has found that cold feet can be an early warning.

The classic symptoms often appear 22 hours after the infection has begun.

They are:

Rash

Stiff neck

Light sensitivity

Headache

Fever

The newly discovered symptoms are usually seen eight hours after the infection and are:

Leg pain

Cold hands and feet

Abnormally pale or mottled skin

"If these worrying signs, which the study has identified, appear, or if they evolve and the child gets progressively worse over time, parents need to be ready to consult medical help," Pediatrician Mike Levine said.

Courtney is lucky her mom didn't wait

"A lot of my friends said that if they had been in my position when they brought her home the second time, they would have put her to bed and said, 'Right now, the doctor says you're OK and now go to sleep.' And would have left them to sleep for a few hours, but if I had done that, she would have died," Chambers said.

There are vaccines available for meningitis.

They can prevent two of the three most common forms of the disease, and although they don't work against all forms, there is evidence they keep you from getting sicker if you contract one of the other types.

Children 11 and older, teens entering high school and college freshmen living in dorms, should all get vaccinated.