health
Research: Half Fewer Deaths from Meningitis Worldwide Since 1990
LONDON - An international team of medical researchers has discovered that the number of cases and deaths from meningitis worldwide has decreased by 55 percent in the last three decades, representing a significant step forward, but it is clearly not enough to fully achieve WHO plans to eliminate meningitis by 2030, researchers write in an article published in the journal 'The Lancet Neurology'.
TL;DR
- Global meningitis cases and deaths have decreased by 55% in the last three decades.
- The WHO's plan to eliminate meningitis by 2030 may not be fully achievable with current progress.
- The study included 17 different pathogens, revealing the growing importance of non-bacterial causes.
- Approximately 2.54 million people currently develop meningitis, with around 259,000 deaths annually.
- Nearly 40% of meningitis deaths are due to easily preventable infections from four types of microbes.
- In 1990, meningitis affected 3.96 million patients with approximately 469,000 deaths.
- The four main pathogens associated with meningitis are pneumococcus, meningococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, and group B Streptococcus, all preventable by vaccines and antibiotics.
- New threats from fungal infections, particularly Candida, are a concern, especially in hospitals and among vulnerable patients.
- Morbidity and mortality from meningitis remain very high in developing countries in Africa, although rates have decreased significantly in some nations.
- African countries like Nigeria, Niger, and Chad have the highest global rates of mortality and infection.