Incidence and outcome of pneumococcal meningitis in northern England

Since pneumococcal meningitis continues to have high mortality and morbidity, and may be under-reported to national surveillance systems, the present study was conducted to assess the incidence, features, and outcomes of microbiologically confirmed cases of pneumococcal meningitis in North Yorkshire, England, between 1997 and 2002. The review revealed 50 cases, which accounted for an incidence of 1.1. per 100,000 per year. The incidence was markedly seasonal, with 76% of cases occurring in the winter months. Mortality was 28%, and 28% of the survivors suffered long-term sequelae. A high Glasgow Coma Score on hospital admission was significantly associated with survival. There were 12 children in the study, aged 2 months to 2 years, and none of them would have been classified as candidates for conjugate pneumococcal vaccination according to UK recommendations.