A meningitis charity has warned that “very concerning” new data shows cases of the diseases more than doubled in a year in England. Meningitis Now’s analysis of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in England increased from 80 in 2020-2021 to 205 in the 12 months from July 2021 to June 2022.
The UKHSA said it could not confirm or refute the figures as it has not yet published its latest annual health protection report, due to be released in a few weeks. However, Meningitis Now appears to have added up the data from UKHSA’s four published quarterly reports to get its figures.
UKHSA recorded 28 cases in July to September 2021, 65 in October to December 2021, 57 in January to March 2022 and 55 in April to June 2022, the reports show. In the most recent report, it noted the 55 cases of IMD reported were “triple the number of cases in the equivalent period in 2021 when 17 cases were reported and double the 29 cases reported in 2020”.
But UKHSA added: “However, IMD cases in April and June 2022 were 55% lower than in the same, pre-pandemic, period in 2019 when 122 cases were reported. This relatively low number of confirmed meningococcal cases between April and June 2022 was observed across all capsular groups.”
UKHSA is a Government agency responsible for protecting people from health threats including infectious diseases. Meningitis Now said the UKHSA data also shows that 179 of the cases were caused by MenB (meningococcal group B) with 84 of these cases occurring in those aged between 15 and 24.
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The figures indicate that nearly a third of MenB cases occurred in children under five and that 32% of MenB cases affected adults, it said. The charity’s chief executive, Dr Tom Nutt, said: “These new figures are very concerning and indicate that there is still some way to go in our battle to defeat this disease.
“For much of this time the country was still in lockdown when many of us were isolating or practising social distancing. As these restrictions eased, meningitis cases have in turn risen from what had been an historic low in the previous year.
“We did expect that cases of meningitis would increase following the pandemic, but these new figures indicate that there is still more to be done. We all need to remain aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis so that people know to act quickly and to seek urgent medical help to save lives.”
The NHS website says symptoms of meningitis and sepsis include: a high temperature; cold hands and feet; vomiting; confusion; breathing quickly; muscle and joint pain; pale, mottled or blotchy skin; spots or a rash; headache; a stiff neck; a dislike of bright lights; being very sleepy or difficult to wake; and seizures.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “As expected, there has been an increase in the number of meningococcal cases reported in April to June 2022 compared to the very low numbers reported the previous year, following the fall in cases seen whilst Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
“The restrictions introduced during the pandemic and social distancing measures impacted the spread of many infections, including meningococcal disease.
“Surveillance is ongoing, and the risk of meningococcal disease continues to be very low. We strongly encourage parents, teenagers and young adults to ensure they are aware of the symptoms and signs of meningitis and septicaemia.”
