Journal
EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY
Volume 13, Issue 6, Pages 705-714Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1586/14787210.2015.1033401
Keywords
etiology; disease surveillance; Haemophilus influenzae; immunization; Malaysia; meningitis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Neisseria meningitides; Streptococcus pneumoniae
Funding
- Pfizer Vaccines
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust/University of Southampton/Public Health England
- The British Council [172686537] Funding Source: researchfish
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Worldwide bacterial meningitis accounts for more than one million cases and 135,000 deaths annually. Profound, lasting neurological complications occur in 9-25% of cases. This review confirms the greatest risk from bacterial meningitis is in early life in Malaysia. Much of the disease burden can be avoided by immunization, particularly against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Despite inclusion of the Hib vaccine in the National Immunisation Programme and the licensure of pneumococcal vaccines, these two species are the main contributors to bacterial meningitis in Malaysia, with Neisseria meningitidis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causing a smaller proportion of disease. The high Hib prevalence may partly be due to dated, small-scale studies limiting the understanding of the current epidemiological situation. This highlights the need for larger, better quality surveillance from Malaysia to evaluate the success of Hib immunization and to help guide immunization policy for vaccines against S. pneumoniae and N. meningitidis.
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