Analysis of a meningococcal meningitis outbreak in Niger - potential effectiveness of reactive prophylaxis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Seasonal epidemics of bacterial meningitis in the African Meningitis Belt carry a high burden of disease and mortality. Reactive mass vaccination is used as a control measure during epidemics, but the time taken to gain immunity from the vaccine reduces the flexibility and effectiveness of these campaigns. Targeted reactive antibiotic prophylaxis could be used to supplement reactive mass vaccination and further reduce the incidence of meningitis, and the potential effectiveness and efficiency of these strategies should be explored.

Methods and findings

Data from an outbreak of meningococcal meningitis in Niger, caused primarily by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C, is used to estimate clustering of meningitis cases at the household and village level. In addition,

SUBMITTER: Hitchings MDT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6428357 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature