Bacterial meningitis is a devastating disease that is associated with substantial mortality and morbidity. The major causative bacteria are Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitis, with case-fatality rates of 30% and 7%, respectively, in high-income countries. In resource-poor countries, fatality rates can be as high as 50%. Neurological sequelae, including hearing loss, developmental disorders, and neuropsychological impairment, occur in up to 50% of survivors of the disease.Although routine vaccination against the three most common causative bacteria has had a notable effect on the prevalence of bacterial meningitis, an estimated 1-2 million cases occur worldwide every year, resulting in 180000 deaths in children aged 1-59 months in 2010.
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