Childhood bacterial meningitis in southwestern Greece: A population-based study

During the 5-year period from 1990 through 1994, we investigated the incidence of childhood bacterial meningitis (beyond the neonatal period) in southwestern Greece. Thirty-seven cases of bacterial meningitis were identified. Fifty-one percent of the cases were caused by Neisseria meningitidis, 41% by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and 8% by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Fifty-eight percent and 73% of cases of meningococcal and Hib meningitis, respectively, involved children younger than 2 years of age. The average yearly incidences of meningococcal and Hib meningitis were 9.7 and 8 cases, respectively, per 100,000 children <5 years of age. The main difference between findings in this study and those in other studies in Western European countries is the lower incidence of Hib meningitis observed in our area. This low incidence of Hib meningitis cannot be attributed to the use of vaccine because the Hib vaccine was first introduced in May 1994 and used infrequently through December 1994.