Which of the following symptoms is commonly associated with meningitis?

Meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, is often accompanied by several key symptoms, with fever being the most common. The body's immune response to the infection typically leads to an increase in body temperature as a way to fight off pathogens. This fever can be a significant indicator of meningitis and helps healthcare providers diagnose the condition.

While other symptoms such as vomiting can also occur in meningitis due to increased intracranial pressure or irritation of the meninges, fever remains the hallmark sign, often presenting early in the course of the illness. Chest pain is typically not associated with meningitis, as it relates more to issues with the lungs or cardiovascular system, while skin rash can occur in certain types of meningitis, particularly those caused by specific pathogens (e.g., meningococcal meningitis), it is not universally present and thus not as broadly representative as fever.