Meningococcal disease rates fall, but infants and vulnerable communities remain at highest risk

Posted 3 hours ago by Mui Nguyen Less than a minute to read

We have published our latest report on Meningococcal notifications in children (0–14 years) for years 2001-2024

Here are the key findings:

The number of meningococcal notifications declined from 21 (2.2 per 100,000) in 2023 to 18 (1.8
per 100,000) in 2024, 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
2022–24, the rate of meningococcal disease among infants (21.0 per 100,000) was 35 times
higher than for children aged 10–14 years (0.6 per 100,000).
Māori and Pacific children had four to six times the rate of meningococcal disease than
European/Other children.
Children living in the most deprived areas (NZDep 2018 quintile 5) had more than three times the
rate of meningococcal disease (6.0 per 100,000) as children living in the least deprived areas (1.5
per 100,000) (quintile 1).