It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Tonsillitis, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Meningitis.
Meningitis is inflammation and swelling of the fluid and membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord that is caused by an infection. Symptoms include a sudden high fever, stiff neck, severe headache, nausea or vomiting, confusion and difficulty concentrating, seizures, sleepiness, sensitivity to light, no appetite or thirst and skin rash. Diseases that meningitis can be misdiagnosed as include otitis (inflammation of the middle ear), exanthema subitum (viral rash), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (autoimmune damage of the brain and spinal cord), neuromyelitis optica (autoimmune damage to the spinal cord and eye nerve), ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (infections after a tick bite), and Kawasaki disease (inflammation of blood vessels).