Second-Year Sentinel Surveillance of Bacterial Meningitis in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq: Year 2 Findings from the MenMap Network (2024–2025)

Résumé fourni par la source

Background Bacterial meningitis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income settings. The Meningitis and Septicemia Mapping Network (MenMap) was established to strengthen sentinel surveillance and molecular diagnostic capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study presents results from the second year of MenMap surveillance under stabilized operational conditions. Methods A prospective, hospital-based sentinel surveillance system was implemented across 15 referral hospitals in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq between December 2024 and November 2025. Children aged 1 month to 18 years with suspected bacterial meningitis were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory data were collected, and specimens underwent real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Descriptive analysis was performed. Results A total of 1,881 suspected cases were reported, of which 123 (6.5%) were laboratory-confirmed, with variation across countries (Egypt 10.5%; Jordan and Iraq 4.7%). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the predominant pathogen (87.0%), followed by Neisseria meningitidis (8.9%) and Haemophilus influenzae (4.1%). Confirmed cases were mainly observed among children aged 6–14 years and infants under 1 year. Ceftriaxone was the most administered antibiotic. Overall mortality was 5.7%. Conclusions Under stabilized surveillance conditions, Year 2 data provide stronger epidemiological estimates, confirming pneumococcal predominance while demonstrating improved laboratory performance, including 100% species-level concordance in annual external quality assessment, alongside persistent gaps in vaccination documentation..

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