The UK death toll from meningitis has been highlighted in a new report, which sets out the impact of the deadly infection around the world. Global figures show there were 259,000 deaths from meningitis in 2023 and 2.54 million cases.
The new report comes as the UK sees an outbreak of meningitis, which has left 18 people in hospital and two teenagers dead in Kent. As of Tuesday (March 24), 20 laboratory cases had been confirmed, with two more under investigation, bringing the total to 22, according to the UKHSA. Over the last fortnight, thousands of young people across the country have booked or received jabs against the A, C, W and Y strains of meningitis (MenACWY), as well as against diphtheria, polio and tetanus (Td/IPV). Officials have said there were “no new cases reported in recent days”. The new Lancet Neurology report shows the burden of the disease in the UK. There were 5,150 cases in the UK in 2023 – linked to the deaths of 159 people, including 84 men or boys and 75 women or girls. Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said: “This data from The Lancet makes it clear that we are not moving fast enough to meet the World Health Organisation’s targets to defeat meningitis by 2030.
“The data should act as a wake-up call. Governments, health systems and communities must work together to prioritise vaccination, improve early diagnosis and ensure rapid access to treatment.
“Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent meningitis, yet uptake and access remain inconsistent across the world – and there is more we must do here in the UK too.
“The recent outbreak of meningitis in Kent shows how even the UK’s world-leading vaccination programme has gaps that leave many people, especially teenagers and young adults, at risk of the devastation that meningitis can cause.”
Researchers, led by academics from the University of Washington in the US, said a “substantial meningitis burden persists”. The World Health Organisation has set a goal to reduce the global incidence of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70% by 2030 compared to 2015.
The new report says that while global deaths and cases have declined since 1990, progress is still “insufficient” to meet this aim. “Although there have been substantial improvements in reducing the morbidity and mortality of meningitis, the pace of progress is not currently on track to meet these goals by 2030,” experts said.
“Continued efforts focused on vaccination, antibiotic stewardship and advances in treatment access and equity can promote the continued prevention of disability and deaths due to meningitis.”
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