Meningococcal Disease News and Research

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Study reveals significant post-COVID meningitis resurgence

A team of scientists from the Institut Pasteur has used the database of the National Reference Center for Meningococci to trace the evolution of invasive meningococcal disease cases in France between 2015 and 2022, revealing an unprecedented resurgence in the disease after the easing of control measures imposed during the COVID-19 epidemic.

17 Nov 2023

New meningitis vaccine safe and effective for infants in Africa

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, as part of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC), provided an interim analysis showing that the pentavalent (NmCV-5) meningitis vaccine is safe for use in 9-month-old infants in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.

3 Oct 2023

How did COVID-19 pandemic restrictions impact invasive meningococcal disease trends?

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the incidence and strain distribution of meningococcus.

11 Sep 2023

CDC raises alarm: poor vaccine coverage fuels surge in meningococcal disease among HIV-infected individuals

CDC presents preliminary data showing an increase in meningococcal disease among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals.

19 Jun 2023

Novel vaccine offers hope for defeating epidemic meningitis by 2030

A trial of a new vaccine against meningococcal disease, a cause of meningitis and blood poisoning, has found that it is safe and induces a strong immune response across five strains of meningococcal bacteria: A, C, W, Y and X.

25 May 2023

Southern states’ lackluster monkeypox efforts leave LGBTQ+ groups going it alone

Dan DeChellis started looking for a monkeypox vaccine around July Fourth but was unable to find a place that offered one in Orlando, Florida, where he lives.

14 Sep 2022

CDC continues investigation of meningococcal disease outbreak among gay and bisexual men in Florida

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues its collaboration with the Florida Department of Health to investigate one of the worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease among gay and bisexual men in U.S. history.

24 Jun 2022

Schools, pediatricians look to make up lost ground on non-covid vaccinations

Melissa Blatzer was determined to get her three children caught up on their routine immunizations on a recent Saturday morning at a walk-in clinic in this Denver suburb. It had been about a year since the kids' last shots, a delay Blatzer chalked up to the pandemic.

18 Nov 2021

Nose drops of modified 'friendly' bacteria offer protection against meningitis

A world-first trial has shown that nose drops of modified 'friendly' bacteria protect against meningitis.

12 Jul 2021

RNA mutations within common bacterium linked to invasive meningococcal disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have come one step closer toward understanding why some people become seriously ill or die from a common bacterium that leaves most people unharmed.

7 Dec 2020

Study evaluates the performance of meningococcus B vaccine in real-world setting

Meningococcus group B, the most prevalent strain of meningococcal infection, is prevented with 79 per cent effectiveness in children and young adults inoculated with the 4CMenB vaccine, also known as Bexsero.

2 Dec 2020

Study findings have implications for meningococcal B vaccine programs globally

The results of the B Part of It study – the largest meningococcal B herd immunity study ever conducted – are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Jan 2020

New research could lead to an improved vaccine to protect against meningococcal infections

New research from experts at the University of Nottingham could lead to an improved vaccine to protect against the bacterium, Neisseria meningitides that causes sepsis and meningitis.

22 Dec 2019

Legislation and rising incidence of vaccine preventable diseases – the connection explored

There have been repeated reports of outbreaks of “vaccine-preventable disease” or VPDs across United States over the past few years. A new research letter was published this week in the JAMA Pediatrics. It was titled, “Association of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Incidence With Proposed State Vaccine Exemption Legislation.”

18 Nov 2019

Researchers develop improved vaccine for meningitis and bloodstream infections

Researchers have now developed a new vaccine, a native outer membrane vesicle vaccine, for meningitis and bloodstream infections caused by "meningococcal group B" bacteria.

29 Jun 2019

Meningococcal bacteria with antibiotic resistance are at risk of increasing worldwide

In a new report published in Expert Review of Vaccines, the Global Meningococcal Initiative- a leading group of scientists, doctors and public health officials - warns that the incidence of meningococcal meningitis strains with resistance to traditional antibiotics is at risk of increasing worldwide.

19 Dec 2018

Australian Academy of Science urges parents to vaccinate children against meningococcal disease

The Australian Academy of Science is urging parents to vaccinate their children against all strains of meningococcal disease, after a recent spike in cases in Adelaide and the death of a seven-year-old boy in south-west Sydney.

13 Nov 2018

Most parents aren't able to recognize meningitis until it's too late

New research commissioned by GSK has shown that the majority of parents incorrectly think that a rash or stiff neck are the first signs of meningitis.

14 Sep 2018

Vaccine schedule is a must-have on child’s back-to-school checklist

With the start of the school year just around the corner, it is easy to overlook one of the most important things on any back-to-school checklist -; making sure your child is vaccinated. Vaccinations protect children from serious diseases, ultimately protecting families, schools and communities by way of safe and effective immunizations.

1 Aug 2018

Research provides new insights about when booster meningitis vaccines are needed

Scientists are indicating that children in Burkina Faso who were vaccinated against group A meningococcal meningitis and septicemia between the ages of 1-4 years in 2010, could need a booster dose of the vaccine as early as this year to ensure they remain protected.

27 Jul 2018