Prolonged outbreak of B meningococcal disease in the Seine-Maritime department, France, January 2003 to June 2005
Eurosurveillance·
- DOI
- 10.2807/esm.11.07.00635-en
- PMID
- 29208111
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W69960028
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Health authorities implemented enhanced surveillance and practitioner education in 2003. Following advisory board review in 2004, the Ministry of Health decided in 2006 to offer vaccination using a Norwegian outer membrane vesicle vaccine to persons aged 1 to 19 years in Seine-Maritime.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This outbreak investigation describes the epidemiology and public health response to a prolonged cluster of meningococcal disease in Seine-Maritime, France, from January 2003 through June 2005.
Study design
Outbreak investigation using passive case notification and laboratory phenotyping to characterize meningococcal cases over a 30-month period.
Population and setting
The outbreak occurred in Seine-Maritime department in northern France, with highest incidence in the city of Dieppe and surrounding area. Children aged 1 to 9 years and teenagers aged 15 to 19 years were most affected.
Main findings
Eighty-six cases were notified during the period, yielding an average annual incidence of 2.7 per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 1.6 nationally. The Dieppe area recorded 26 cases with an annual incidence of 12 per 100,000. All cases were attributed to N. meningitidis phenotype B:14:P1.7,16 from clonal complex ST-32/ET-5, with a case-fatality rate of 19% and purpura fulminans in 42% of the 31 phenotyped cases.
Public-health relevance
Health authorities implemented enhanced surveillance and practitioner education in 2003. Following advisory board review in 2004, the Ministry of Health decided in 2006 to offer vaccination using a Norwegian outer membrane vesicle vaccine to persons aged 1 to 19 years in Seine-Maritime.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. The full manuscript is required for decision-grade interpretation of study methods, diagnostic criteria, surveillance completeness, and vaccine effectiveness projections.
GIDS interpretation
This article is discoverable through searches for meningococcal disease, outbreak investigation, and vaccination in France. It documents a geographically focused cluster managed through enhanced surveillance and targeted immunization rather than nationwide alert.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 11 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.