2003 Indiana Report of Infectious Diseases |
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*Rate per 100,000 population based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s population data as of July 1, 2003 |
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Meningococcal infection most commonly manifests as meningitis or meningococcemia. It is transmitted person to person via respiratory droplets from the nose and throat secretions of a person infected with Neisseria meningitidis. Up to 10 percent of United States residents may be colonized with N. meningitidis in the nasopharynx and have no symptoms of illness.
In 2003, there were 49 confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease in Indiana and, of those, 5 resulted in death. Figure 1 shows the number of reported cases for the five-year period 1999-2003.
Incidence of meningococcal disease usually climbs in early spring and late winter. Figure 2 indicates an increase of incidence in the winter, spring, and late summer. Cases of meningococcal disease tend to occur more frequently in infants, children, and young adults. In 2003, infants less than 1 year of age (12) had the highest case rate, followed by preschoolers aged 1-4 years (2.0) (Figure 3).
Of the 29 counties reporting cases in 2003, only two counties reported 5 or more cases (adjusted for population): Allen (2.1) and Marion (0.92).
Serogroups A, B, C, Y, and W-135 are most frequently associated with invasive disease in the United States. As of October 2000, laboratories are required to submit N. meningitidis isolates from normally sterile sites to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Laboratories for serogrouping. Additionally, molecular subtyping can be performed by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) on selected meningococcal isolates that may indicate a cluster of cases. Serogroup B currently accounts for approximately 45 percent of meningococcal isolates confirmed in the ISDH Laboratory (Table 2).
| Serogroup | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| B | 10(16.7%) | 8(15.7%) | 17(36.2%) | 8(22.8%) | 22(44.8%) |
| C | 19(31.7%) | 12(23.5%) | 8(17.0%) | 7(21.2%) | 6(12.2%) |
| Y | 8(13.3%) | 12(23.5%) | 12(25.5%) | 9(27.7%) | 10(20.4%) |
| W-135 | 2(3.3%) | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Z | -- | -- | 1(2.1%) | 1(2.8%) | -- |
| Not Groupable | 3(5.0%) | 2(3.9%) | 1(2.1%) | 4(11.4%) | 2(4.1%) |
| Not Typed/Unknown | 17(29%) | 17(33.3%) | 8(17.0%) | 6(17.1%) | 9(18.3%) |
| Total | 59 | 51 | 47 | 35 | 49 |
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Note: The 1998 and 1999 case totals and serotype breakdowns are corrected from the 1999 Report of Diseases of Public Health Interest. |
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Measures that would decrease the likelihood of transmission of the disease include:
You can learn more about meningococcal disease by visiting the following Web
site:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm
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