Laboratory-confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal infection in England: July to September 2024
Published 27 March 2025
Applies to England
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In England, the national UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Meningococcal Reference Unit (MRU) confirmed 48 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) between July and September 2024.
Case numbers were similar to the 52 confirmed in the equivalent period in 2023 (table 1). Case numbers were lower than the 79 cases in the equivalent period in 2019, before pandemic restrictions were implemented in the UK. Cases in the intervening years – impacted by COVID-19 population control measures (1) – were very low, with 26 and 28 confirmed in the equivalent periods in 2020 and 2021, and 43 confirmed in 2022 once IMD had re-emerged.
Earlier reports on IMD cases in England are available: Meningococcal disease: guidance, data and analysis
Following the complete withdrawal of COVID-19 containment measures in England from July 2021, overall case numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels driven mainly by group B meningococcal disease (MenB). Cases due to the other capsular groups remained very low because of the highly effective indirect (herd) protection provided by the adolescent meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) conjugate vaccine programme introduced from August 2015, alongside direct protection in those vaccinated (2).
The distribution of meningococcal cases by capsular group causing IMD between July and September 2024 is summarised in table 1. MenB accounted for 85.4% of all cases (41 of 48), followed by MenW: 6.3% (3 cases), MenY: 2.1% (1 case), MenC: 2.1% (1 case) and MenE: 2.1% (1 case). There were no confirmed cases for any other capsular groups.
There were 41 MenB cases confirmed between July and September 2024, compared to 45 cases in the corresponding period in 2023. Between July and September, MenB was responsible for 93.3% (28 of 30) of IMD cases in individuals under 25 years of age and 72.2% (13 of 18) of cases in individuals aged 25 years or older (table 2). All confirmed cases of MenW, MenY and MenC occurred in individuals aged over 25 years. The one case of MenE was aged between 5 and 9 years.
The latest vaccine coverage information is available at Vaccine uptake guidance and the latest coverage data.
Table 1. Invasive meningococcal disease in England by capsular group and laboratory testing method: July to September only, 2023 and 2024
| Capsular groups [note 1] |
PCR and culture (2023) | PCR and culture (2024) | Culture only (2023) | Culture only (2024) | PCR only (2023) | PCR only (2024) | Total (2023) | Total (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 10 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 45 | 41 |
| C | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 |
| E | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 |
| Ungrouped/ungroupable [note 2] |
– | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| W | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Y | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 12 | 8 | 18 | 15 | 22 | 25 | 52 | 48 |
Note 1: No cases of group A, X or Z were confirmed during the periods summarised in the table.
Note 2: Ungrouped or ungroupable refers to invasive clinical meningococcal isolates that were non-groupable, while ‘ungrouped’ cases refers to culture-negative but PCR screen (ctrA) positive and negative for the four genogroups (B, C, W and Y) routinely tested for.
Table 2. Invasive meningococcal disease in England by capsular group [note 1] and age group at diagnosis: July to September 2024
| Age groups | Capsular group B | Capsular group C | Capsular group E | Capsular group W | Capsular group Y | Capsular group ‘Ungrouped or ungroupable’ [note 2] |
Total number | Total percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1 year | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6.3% |
| 1 to 4 years | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 | 6.3% |
| 5 to 9 years | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 3 | 6.3% |
| 10 to 14 years | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 8.3% |
| 15 to 19 years | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 25.0% |
| 20 to 24 years | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 10.4% |
| 25 to 44 years | 6 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 7 | 14.6% |
| 45 to 64 years | 4 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | 6 | 12.5% |
| 65+ years | 3 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 5 | 10.4% |
| Total | 41 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 100% |
Note 1: No cases of group A, X, or Z were confirmed during the period summarised in the table.
Note 2: Ungrouped or ungroupable refers to invasive clinical meningococcal isolates that were non-groupable, while ‘ungrouped’ cases refers to culture-negative but PCR screen (ctrA) positive and negative for the four genogroups (B, C, W and Y) routinely tested for.
References
1. Subbarao S, Campbell H, Ribeiro S, Clark SA, Lucidarme J and others (2021). ‘Invasive meningococcal disease, 2011 to 2020, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, England’. Emerging Infectious Diseases: volume 27, number9, pages 2,495 to 2,497.
2. Campbell H and others (2022). ‘Impact of an adolescent meningococcal ACWY immunisation programme to control a national outbreak of group W meningococcal disease in England: a national surveillance and modelling study’ Lancet Child Adolescent Health: volume 6, issue 2