Meningococcal Disease in South Africa, 1999–2002
- Garry B. Coulson
- Meningeal Disease Surveillance in South Africa
- Mignon du Plessis
- Anthony M. Smith
- Linda de Gouveia
- Keith P. Klugman
- Anne von Gottberg
DOIAbstract
We describe the epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease in South Africa from August 1999 through July 2002, as reported to a laboratory-based surveillance system. Neisseria meningitidis isolates were further characterized. In total, 854 cases of laboratory-confirmed disease were reported, with an annual incidence rate of 0.64/100,000 population. Incidence was highest in infants <1 year of age. Serogroup B caused 41% of cases; serogroup A, 23%; serogroup Y, 21%; serogroup C, 8%; and serogroup W135, 5%. Serogroup B was the predominant serogroup in Western Cape Province, and disease rates remained stable. Serogroup A was most prevalent in Gauteng Province and increased over the 3 years. On pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, sero...
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