BMJ 2001;323:523-524 ( 8 September )

Editorials

Legacy of bacterial meningitis in infancy

Many children continue to suffer functionally important deficits

Papers p 533

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The global burden of childhood bacterial meningitis is substantial. A systematic review of 36 studies from the world's developing nations estimated that there are 126 000 cases of neonatal meningitis annually, with over 50 000 deaths.1 In these countries the major neonatal pathogens are Gram negative bacilli, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species. A further recent review of almost 30 000 children and adults in 50 studies from 25 African countries found Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b to be the commonest causes of bacterial meningitis, with Neisseria meningitidis ranked third.2 Annually there are 400 000 cases alone of H influenzae b meningitis in the developing world: 80% are in infants, nearly 30% die, and another 30% have major impairments.3 Experience in the developed world suggests that even if mortality can be greatly reduced, the burden of continuing morbidity from meningitis in infancy remains high.

After the introduction of conjugate H influenzae b vaccines the . . . [Full text of this article]
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