Outbreak of Meningitis in Iraq in 2023

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious diseases
• Clinical microbiology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Meningitis outbreaks pose a significant threat to child health.
• Understanding the clinical and laboratory features of outbreaks is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical presentations and laboratory findings of a meningitis outbreak in children in Iraq during 2023.

Main Methods:

• Demographic and clinical data were collected from 170 pediatric patients admitted between March and August 2023.
• Blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens underwent comprehensive hematological, biochemical, microscopic, and microbiological analyses.
• FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel was utilized for rapid pathogen identification.

Main Results:

• The outbreak primarily affected children aged 5-10 years, with males constituting 64.7%.
• Fever (100%) was the predominant symptom, followed by headache (79%) and vomiting (12%).
• CSF analysis revealed elevated leucocytes in 38.8% (>1000/µL) and 31.2% (<300/µL), with 82.4% monocytes and normal sugar in 84.1%.

Conclusions:

• An enterovirus meningitis outbreak was identified in Iraqi children.
• Clinical presentation and age distribution suggest the involvement of multiple enterovirus serotypes.
• Further research is required to identify specific viral species, serotypes, and the environmental source.