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Child meningococcal disease notifications halved in 2023

Posted 3 days ago by Helene Marsters Less than a minute to read

Here are the key findings from our Meningococcal disease notifications in children (0–14 years) surveillance report.

  • The number of meningococcal notifications declined from 42 (4.4 per 100,000) in 2022 to 21 (2.2 per 100,000) in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in notifications among the under-5 age group.
  • Meningococcal B continues to be the most dominant strain in children aged 0–14 years.
  • Infants (under 1-year-old) have had the highest rate of meningococcal disease since 2001. In 2023, the rate of meningococcal disease in this age group was 36 times the rate among children aged 10–14 years.
  • Māori and Pacific children had seven to eight times the rate of meningococcal disease than European/Other children. Māori children also represent the majority of cases across all age groups, particularly among infants.
  • Children living in the most deprived areas (NZDep 2018 quintile 5) had three times the rate of meningococcal disease as children living in the least deprived areas (quintile 1).