{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T02:58:35Z","timestamp":1771037915824,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,25]],"date-time":"2024-04-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1714003200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The Banalia health zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported a meningitis epidemic in 2021 that evolved outside the epidemic season. We assessed the effects of the meningitis epidemic response. Methods: The standard case definition was used to identify cases. Care was provided to 2651 in-patients, with 8% of them laboratory tested, and reactive vaccination was conducted. To assess the effects of reactive vaccination and treatment with ceftriaxone, a statistical analysis was performed. Results: Overall, 2662 suspected cases of meningitis with 205 deaths were reported. The highest number of cases occurred in the 30\u201339 years age group (927; 38.5%). Ceftriaxone contributed to preventing deaths with a case fatality rate that decreased from 70.4% before to 7.7% after ceftriaxone was introduced (p = 0.001). Neisseria meningitidis W was isolated, accounting for 47\/57 (82%), of which 92% of the strains belonged to the clonal complex 11. Reactive vaccination of individuals in Banalia aged 1\u201319 years with a meningococcal multivalent conjugate (ACWY) vaccine (Menactra\u00ae) coverage of 104.6% resulted in an 82% decline in suspected meningitis cases (incidence rate ratio, 0.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.02\u20130.80; p = 0.041). Conclusion: Despite late detection (two months) and reactive vaccination four months after crossing the epidemic threshold, interventions implemented in Banalia contributed to the control of the epidemic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines12050461","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,26]],"date-time":"2024-04-26T05:13:41Z","timestamp":1714108421000},"page":"461","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["The Bacterial Meningitis Epidemic in Banalia in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Andre Arsene","family":"Bita Fouda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anderson","family":"Latt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Emergencies Hub, Dakar P.O. Box 36, Senegal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdoulaye","family":"Sinayoko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Country Office Kinshasa, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9062-5084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Franck Fortune Roland","family":"Mboussou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Inter-Country Support Central Africa, Libreville P.O. Box 820, Gabon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Pezzoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization (WHO), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katya","family":"Fernandez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization (WHO), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Clement","family":"Lingani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Inter-Country Support West Africa, Ouagadougou 03 BP 7019, Burkina Faso"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Berthe","family":"Miwanda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Doroth\u00e9e","family":"Bulemfu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Public Health Hygiene and Prevention, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francis","family":"Baelongandi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Public Health Hygiene and Prevention, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Patrick Mbenga","family":"Likita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Public Health Hygiene and Prevention, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marie-Jos\u00e9","family":"Kikoo Bora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Public Health Hygiene and Prevention, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marcel","family":"Sabiti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Public Health Hygiene and Prevention, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 1192, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gervais Leon","family":"Folefack Tengomo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Country Office Kinshasa, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eug\u00e8ne","family":"Kabambi Kabangu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Country Office Kinshasa, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guy","family":"Kalambayi Kabamba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Country Office Kinshasa, DRC, Kinshasa P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Issifou","family":"Alassani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Country Office, Lome P.O. Box 1504, Togo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0716-3174","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhamed-Kheir","family":"Taha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute Pasteur of Paris, 75015 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ado Mpia","family":"Bwaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1273-4779","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles Shey","family":"Wiysonge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Benido","family":"Impouma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023, March 01). Meningitis. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/meningitis#tab=tab_1."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023, March 05). Meningococcal Meningitis. 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