Meningitis Substantial Contributor to Mortality in Children Younger Than 5 Years
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 -- Meningitis is a substantial contributor to mortality in children younger than 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in the Journal of Infection.
Sana Mahtab, from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and colleagues assessed the contribution of meningitis to mortality and identified causative pathogens in children younger than 5 years in an observational study. Deaths were analyzed in live-born children younger than 5 years of age that occurred between Dec. 16, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2023, in six sub-Saharan African countries and Bangladesh.
The researchers found that for 7.0 percent of deaths (270/3,857), meningitis was the causal pathway, and meningitis was considered the underlying condition in 4.8 percent (13/270) of these deaths. Neonates and infants/children accounted for 65.9 and 34.1 percent of the 270 deaths, respectively. Among neonatal meningitis deaths, 55.6 percent occurred ≥72 hours post-hospital admission; Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae were common pathogens (49.5 and 40.4 percent, respectively). Overall, 44 percent of neonatal meningitis deaths were community associated, mainly due to K. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli (35.4 and 13.9 percent, respectively). Of the infant and child meningitis deaths, 43.5 percent occurred ≥72 hours post-hospital admission; common pathogens were K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii (42.5 and 17.5 percent, respectively). Streptococcus pneumoniae and K. pneumoniae were common pathogens (34.6 and 19.2 percent, respectively) among community-associated meningitis deaths in infants and children.
"Our findings indicate that meningitis remains a leading cause of mortality among children under 5, with many cases going undiagnosed before death, highlighting the urgent need for improved diagnostic and treatment methods," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Read this next
Remote Access to Urinary Incontinence Treatments Aids Women Veterans
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 -- Receiving remote behavioral urinary incontinence (UI) treatment through either a mobile health app or video visit improves symptoms among women veterans...
Advances in Cancer Research Described in 15th Cancer Progress Report
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 -- Progress in cancer research, including approval of 20 new anticancer therapeutics in the past year, is described in the 15th edition of the AACR Cancer...
Population Aging Contributes to Burden of Musculoskeletal Disorders
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 -- Population aging is the largest contributor to the increasing burden of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders in about one-third of countries, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.