Meningococcal disease serogroup C.

Despite current advances in antibiotic therapy and vaccines, meningococcal disease serogroup C (MDC) remains a serious threat to global health, particularly in countries in North and Latin America, Europe, and Asia. MDC is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and neurological sequelae and it is a heavy economic burden. At the individual level, despite advances in antibiotics and supportive therapies, case fatality rate remains nearly 10% and severe neurological sequelae are frequent.

Community acquired bacterial meningitis in Cuba: a follow up of a decade.

Background: Community acquired Bacterial Meningitis (BM) remains a serious threat to global health. Cuban surveillance system for BM allowed to characterize the main epidemiological features of this group of diseases, as well as to assess the association of some variables with mortality. Results of the BM surveillance in Cuba are presented in this paper.

Safety and preliminary immunogenicity of MenC/P64k, a meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine with a new recombinant carrier.

This study reports the preliminary assessment of the safety and immunogenicity of the first serogroup C conjugate vaccine candidate that includes meningococcal P64k recombinant protein as the carrier (MenC/P64k). Twenty volunteers were recruited for a double-blind, randomized, controlled phase I clinical trial, receiving a single dose of MenC/P64k (study group) and a single dose of the commercial polysaccharide vaccine AC (control group). Only mild reactions were observed.

Bacterial meningitis in children and adolescents: an observational study based on the national surveillance system.

Background: Bacterial meningitis is a group of life threatening infections that mostly affect children and adolescents, and may be the cause of severe neurological sequelae. Cuba has implemented massive vaccination programmes against both Neisseria meningitidis (serogroup C in 1979 and B in 1987), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (1999), two of the main causal pathogens. We described and discussed some epidemiological aspects of the current status of bacterial meningitis to learn from the Cuban experience.