Eurosurveillance - Volume 2, Issue 10, 01 October 1997

Few infections can cause the social stress that occurs when meningococcal disease enters a community. The ability of Neisseria meningitidisto kill a healthy child within a few hours is one reason for this fear. It is also clear that preventive measures ag

In the 1980s, the presentation of meningococcal disease in Spain was closely linked to the predominance of serotype B. Since the early 1990s however, an increasing number of serotype C strains have been isolated from a number of localities in the west of

Surveillance of meningococcal infection in England and Wales relies on three sources of data. Doctors are required by statute to notify clinically diagnosed cases of meningococcal meningitis and, since 1989, cases of meningococcal septicaemia (in the abse

A national laboratory surveillance system for meningococcal disease was established in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) in November 1994. Data collection forms are returned centrally each month whether or not cases have occurred, containing a minimum data se

The incidence of meningococcal infection in Scotland was 4.1 cases per 100 000 population in 1996 compared with 3.8/100 000 in 1995 (210 cases reported in 1996 compared with 193 in 1995). There were 14 deaths, representing a crude case fatality rate of 6.

In Greece, Neisseria meningitidis appears as sporadic cases with some seasonal local outbreaks. The notification of meningococcal disease to the local health authorities and the Ministry of Health is mandatory. In 1994, the National Reference Centre for M

The surveillance of meningococcal disease in France is based on four complementary sources of data. 1. Meningococcal disease has been a notifiable disease since 1902. A case definition for surveillance was introduced in 1985, based on the isolation of Ne

SCIENTIFIC EDITOR In Belgium, after the epidemic of the early 1970s caused by Neisseria meningitidis B:2b:P1.2 (highest incidences in 1971 and 1972 with 5 cases per 100 000 population per year), the incidence of meningococcal disease fell to normal inter