Disease overview

Bacterial

Meningococcal disease

脑膜炎球菌病

Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026

Meningococcal disease is a severe, vaccine-preventable infection caused by the gram-negative diplococcus Neisseria meningitidis, which primarily manifests as meningitis, septicemia, or a combination of both ^[1]. The pathogen exclusively infects humans, with approximately ten percent of adults carrying it asymptomatically in the nasopharynx ^[2]. Globally, six major serogroups (A, B, C, W, X, and Y) drive the vast majority of invasive cases, though incidence patterns and dominant strains shift dynamically across regions and age groups ^[3]^[4]. While overall incidence remains relatively low in many industrialized nations, the disease remains a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, particularly in endemic zones and during periodic epidemics ^[2]^[5].

Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6

Definition

Invasive meningococcal disease refers to the systemic invasion of Neisseria meningitidis into typically sterile sites, classically presenting as acute inflammation of the meninges or fulminant bloodstream infection ^[1]. The causative bacterium is an exclusively human pathogen classified by its polysaccharide capsule, with twelve recognized serogroups, six of which account for nearly all documented invasive cases worldwide ^[3]. Unlike many other bacterial pathogens, this organism relies on specific surface adhesins and virulence factors to colonize the respiratory tract before occasionally breaching host barriers to trigger severe systemic illness ^[2].

Clinical features

Clinical onset typically begins three to four days after exposure with nonspecific, flu-like manifestations including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and photophobia ^[1]. As the infection advances, patients frequently develop nuchal rigidity, altered mental status, and a characteristic purple non-blanching petechial or purpuric rash ^[2]^[1]. Without prompt medical intervention, the condition can rapidly deteriorate into septic shock, multiorgan failure, and high mortality, whereas appropriate treatment reduces fatality rates to between four and twenty percent ^[1]. Survivors often face significant long-term sequelae, including neurological deficits, sensory impairments, and limb loss ^[1].

Epidemiology

The global burden of invasive meningococcal disease exhibits marked geographic and temporal heterogeneity, with historically highest incidence rates concentrated in the African meningitis belt and parts of Asia ^[2]. In industrialized regions, annual incidence generally remains low, with children under five years and teenagers of high school age at greatest risk ^[2]. Surveillance data indicate a continuous evolution in serogroup dominance, with recent decades witnessing declines in serogroup A and C alongside emerging prominence of serogroups B, W, and Y across multiple continents ^[3]^[4]. Periodic cluster outbreaks and sporadic community transmission further complicate regional disease forecasting ^[4].

Transmission

Transmission occurs through direct exchange of respiratory droplets and saliva during activities involving close or prolonged interpersonal contact, such as coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing utensils and drinking vessels ^[2]^[1]. Asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriage serves as the primary reservoir, allowing silent spread within communities before rare instances progress to invasive disease ^[2]^[1]. The pathogen initiates colonization by utilizing specialized pili and surface proteins to adhere to host epithelial cells, facilitating subsequent potential entry into the bloodstream ^[2].

Prevention

Primary prevention relies heavily on targeted immunization strategies, with conjugate and protein-based vaccines available against the predominant circulating serogroups to reduce community transmission and individual susceptibility ^[3]. During localized clusters or defined outbreaks, mass vaccination campaigns combined with targeted chemoprophylaxis for close contacts represent the standard public health response to interrupt secondary transmission chains ^[1]. Ongoing monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns remains critical, as rising resistance to penicillins and fluoroquinolones necessitates updated prophylactic and therapeutic guidelines ^[5].

References

1Wikipedia contributors. Meningococcal disease - Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikipedia. cited 2 Sept 2026.Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meningococcal_disease
2Wikipedia contributors. Neisseria meningitidis - Wikipedia [Internet]. Wikipedia. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neisseria_meningitidis
3Parikh SR et al. The everchanging epidemiology of meningococcal disease worldwide and the potential for prevention through vaccination. J Infect. 2020 Oct. PMID: 32504737. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.05.079.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32504737/
4Pardo de Santayana C et al. Epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease worldwide from 2010-2019: a literature review. Epidemiol Infect. 2023 Mar 6. PMID: 37052295. doi: 10.1017/S0950268823000328.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37052295/
5Rodriguez E et al. Progression of antibiotic resistance in Neisseria meningitidis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2025 Mar 13. PMID: 39887238. doi: 10.1128/cmr.00215-24.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39887238/

Coding Register

ICD-10
ICD-11

Key Statistics

Total cases: 147K
Total deaths: 214
Peak month: 2010-03
Coverage: 42 reporting countries · 1924-01-01 → 2026-09-01

Trends by reporting country

Monthly patterns over time

Research Radar

Recent related research

View all research →

Peer reviewedDiphtheriaVaccination

DOI 10.1080/21645515.2026.2716508 ↗

Safety of a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACYW-TT) administered concomitantly with routine pediatric vaccines in healthy infants and toddlers in USA and Puerto Rico: Results from a Phase III, randomized, active-controlled study.

Moskow A, Gupta S, Dhingra MS +7 more

Human vaccines & immunotherapeuticsAug 25, 2026

Tetanus surveillance →

Peer reviewedPoliomyelitisVaccination

DOI 10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128750 ↗

Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in schools, part 2: pertussis, meningococcal disease, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, and rotavirus infection

Dimitrios C. Cassimos, Evgnosia Effraimidou, Ioanna Irakleidou +2 more

VaccineJun 1, 2026

Poliomyelitis surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessMeningococcal diseaseOutbreak investigation

DOI 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.3.2500431 ↗

First use of Trumenba (MenB-fHbp) vaccine to control a nursery outbreak of serogroup B invasive meningococcal disease involving children previously immunised with Bexsero (4CMenB), England, November 2023

Kirsty Foster, Emma J Heymer, Helen Campbell +8 more

EurosurveillanceJan 22, 2026

Open article ↗Meningococcal disease surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessMeningococcal diseaseOutbreak investigation

DOI 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2025.30.44.2500222 ↗

Outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease caused by a meningococcus serogroup B expressing a rare porA genosubtype (19-54, 15), Spain, March to April 2024

Raquel Abad, Carmen Navarro, Cristina García-Amil +10 more

EurosurveillanceNov 6, 2025

Open article ↗Meningococcal disease surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessCOVID-19Vaccination

DOI 10.1016/j.jinf.2025.106635 ↗

Current global trends in meningococcal disease control, risk groups and vaccination: Consensus of the Global Meningococcal Initiative

Ray Borrow, Dominque A. Caugant, Stephen A. Clark +10 more

Journal of InfectionNov 1, 2025

Open article ↗COVID-19 surveillance →

Showing 5 of 8 related publications.

Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.

Rows9,319

Updated2026-09-01

Coverage—

Partitions22

Source42 series · 3,228 observations

Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes107

monthlyofficial_monthly_csv

AGES Radar monthly national source. Internal ingestion retains native categories; public release is disabled pending licence review.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian national notifiable diseases surveillance dashboard.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Australian Capital Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for New South Wales, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Northern Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Queensland, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for South Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Tasmania, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Western Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

annualofficial_ecdc_rest_aggregate

Belgium annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.

annualofficial_ecdc_rest_aggregate

Bulgaria annual Member-State reported case counts from the ECDC Surveillance Atlas. Missing topic/year cells remain unknown and published zeroes are preserved. Data provided by ECDC based on data reported by EU/EEA Member States.

ANNUALweb

Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Ontario-level current-year preliminary monthly case counts from Public Health Ontario's IDTO report.

weeklyrest_api

Switzerland FOPH/BAG IDD mandatory reporting API normalized to national case rows. Monthly series may use the dashboard CHFL aggregate where CH-only monthly series are not exposed.

MONTHLYweb

Monthly notifiable infectious disease reports published by China CDC.

MONTHLYweb

Official China public health bulletin and query portal.

MONTHLYweb

Biomedical literature discovery feed used as supplementary context.