Demographic and pathogen characteristics of incident bacterial meningitis in infants in South Africa: A cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Bacterial meningitis is a major cause of death, with an approximate case fatality rate of 37% across all age groups in South Africa. This study aimed to describe the demographic and pathogen characteristics of incident meningitis in children aged <1 year in South Africa from 2014 through 2018, during a period when Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) were both included in the expanded program on immunization (EPI).

Methods

We conducted a cohort study of routine laboratory data in the National Health Laboratory Service Corporate Data Warehouse, which covers approximately 80% of the South African population. We defined a case of laboratory-confirmed bacterial meningitis as any person aged <1 year with meningitis diagnosed

SUBMITTER: Kiakuvue YN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11423971 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature