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Conjugate vaccines dramatically reshaped the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in a well-defined child population

Fani Ladomenou1, Georgina Tzanakaki2, Soultana Kolyva3

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Venizeleion General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|August 1, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Vaccination significantly reduced bacterial meningitis in children in Greece. Introduction of meningitis C and PCV13 vaccines led to decreased cases of Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, while Haemophilus influenzae type b was eliminated.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Vaccinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Bacterial meningitis remains a significant public health concern in children.
  • Vaccination strategies have evolved to combat various bacterial meningitis pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term impact of vaccination on bacterial meningitis incidence in children on Crete, Greece.
  • To analyze trends in Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningitis post-vaccine introduction.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective observational study of mandatory bacterial meningitis notifications in children aged 1 month to 14 years (1991-2017).
  • Analysis of incidence rates before and after the introduction of conjugate meningitis C and PCV13 vaccines.

Main Results:

  • A total of 245 cases were recorded with a case fatality rate of 3.3%.
  • Incidence of meningitis C significantly dropped post-vaccine introduction (1.5 to 0.3 per 100,000).
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae cases decreased threefold after PCV13 introduction (2.7 to 1.0 per 100,000); Hib was eliminated by the 1990s.

Conclusions:

  • Vaccination programs, specifically meningitis C and PCV13, have demonstrably reduced bacterial meningitis incidence in children.
  • The observed decreases highlight the effectiveness of conjugate vaccines in controlling specific serogroups of bacterial meningitis.
Abstract

Keywords:
bacterial meningitiscapture-recapture methodchildhoodconjugate vaccinesepidemiological trends

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