Loading...
Meningococcal meningitis outbreaks with case mortality rates of about 10% are common in the so-called meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa during the dry season (December to June). Most of these outbreaks have been due to Group A meningococci, but with the advent of a Group A vaccine, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (NmC) has assumed prominence and recently caused a major epidemic in Niger in 2015.
Now, the CDC reports the latest NmC epidemic in the region, with 14,518 suspected cases (fever >100.4°F plus ≥1 meningeal sign) in Nigeria during December 13, 2016, and June 15, 2017. Among the 1339 cases that were laboratory tested, 32% were positive for bacterial pathogens, of which 82.7% were NmC. This finding prompted vaccination of 2.1 mi…