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Review
. 2013 Jan;9(1):162-71.
doi: 10.4161/hv.22302. Epub 2012 Oct 29.

The changing epidemiology of meningococcal disease in North America 1945-2010

Carmen Baccarini  1 , Andrew Ternouth, Heather Wieffer, Andrew Vyse
Affiliations
Review

The changing epidemiology of meningococcal disease in North America 1945-2010

Carmen Baccarini et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

The epidemiology of Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) is distinct in the United States and Canada compared with other countries. This review describes the incidence, mortality and vaccination strategies relevant to IMD in these countries over the past 65 y. The incidence of IMD has remained consistently low in both countries during this period. Serogroup B and serogroup C have been the most prominent disease-causing serogroups. Notably, serogroup Y has recently become an important cause of IMD in the USA, but has not been as prominent in Canada. Periodic rises in incidence have been characterized by local outbreaks that have raised public concern, especially those caused by serogroup C in Canada, and serogroup B in the USA. Case fatality rates have remained consistent at around 10-20%, but vary by age and serogroup. Recent outbreaks have led to the introduction of vaccination programs for both outbreak control and routine immunization.

Keywords: Literature review; Neisseria meningitidis; North America; epidemiology; meningococcal disease.

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Figures

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Figure 1. The recent decline in incidence of IMD in the USA and Canada.,,,,, Footnote: The introduction of routine vaccination programs are indicated by the dashed vertical lines; however, some provinces in Canada introduced routine vaccination after 2002.
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Figure 2. Fluctuations over time in the proportion of IMD attributed to different serogroups in the USA.,,,, Footnote: Minor serogroups (serogroups other than serogroups B, C and Y) are grouped; there is a gap in the data available concerning these minor serogroups prior to 1997.
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Figure 3. Fluctuations over time in the proportion of IMD attributed to different serogroups in Canada.,
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Figure 4. Incidence of IMD by age group in Canada. Footnote: The introduction of routine vaccination programs is indicated by the dashed vertical lines; however, some provinces introduced routine vaccination after 2002.
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Figure 5. IMD case fatality rate and serogroup specific incidence in different age groups in the USA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Response to the changing epidemiology of meningococcal disease in North America 1945-2010.
    Bettinger JA, Scheifele DW, Halperin SA, Vaudry W, Le Saux N. Bettinger JA, et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Jun;9(6):1323-4. doi: 10.4161/hv.24009. Epub 2013 Mar 1. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013. PMID: 23454840 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Reply letter.
    Baccarini C, Ternouth A, Wieffer H, Vyse A. Baccarini C, et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Jun;9(6):1325. doi: 10.4161/hv.24087. Epub 2013 Apr 5. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013. PMID: 23563056 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

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