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Strengthening regional surveillance: MenMap Network's year 1 findings on bacterial meningitis in Jordan, Egypt, and

Lamia Al-Kershi1, Deema Al Bakri1, Zeina Abdel Majeed1

  • 1Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Amman, Jordan.

IJID Regions
|May 8, 2026
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

The Meningitis and Septicemia Mapping Network (MenMap) enhanced surveillance for bacterial meningitis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen identified in confirmed cases.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Vaccine-preventable invasive bacterial diseases pose a significant public health challenge in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
  • Existing surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for these diseases require enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish the Meningitis and Septicemia Mapping Network (MenMap), a prospective, multicenter sentinel surveillance system.
  • To strengthen laboratory capacity and regional collaboration for meningitis and septicemia surveillance in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.
  • To describe the epidemiology, pathogen distribution, and outcomes of laboratory-confirmed bacterial meningitis cases in the first year of MenMap surveillance.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, hospital-based sentinel surveillance was conducted in 16 hospitals across Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.
  • The study targeted children aged 1 month to 18 years presenting with suspected meningitis based on World Health Organization criteria.
  • Standardized protocols included clinical evaluations, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for pathogen detection, and an external quality assessment scheme for laboratory diagnostics.

Main Results:

  • A total of 2104 suspected cases were reported between December 2023 and November 2024, with 191 (9%) confirmed cases.
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent pathogen (90.0%), followed by Haemophilus influenzae (7.9%) and Neisseria meningitidis (2.1%).
  • The majority of confirmed cases were reported from Iraq (63.3%), with 62% occurring in children under 5 years of age.

Conclusions:

  • The MenMap initiative effectively enhances bacterial meningitis surveillance in the MENA region.
  • Findings provide crucial evidence to inform vaccine policy, including potential expansion of pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b immunization programs.
  • The surveillance system contributes to improved pathogen detection and characterization, aiding public health interventions.
Keywords:
Bacterial meningitisEastern Mediterranean RegionInvasive bacterial diseasesMiddle East and North AfricaReal-time PCRSurveillance

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