Laboratory-confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal infection in England: October to December 2024
Updated 24 April 2025
Applies to England
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In England, the national UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Meningococcal Reference Unit (MRU) confirmed 113 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) between October and December 2024.
Case numbers were higher than the 92 confirmed in the equivalent period in 2023 (Table 1) but lower than the 186 cases in the equivalent period in 2019, before pandemic restrictions were implemented in the UK. Cases in the following year – impacted by COVID-19 population control measures (1) – were very low, with 19 confirmed in the equivalent period in 2020; 65 cases in 2021 and 102 cases in 2022, once IMD had re-emerged.
Earlier reports on IMD cases in England are available at 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 October and December 2024 is summarised in Table 1. MenB accounted for 86.7% of all cases (98 of 113), followed by MenW (7.1%; 8 cases); MenY (4.4%; 5 cases); MenC (0.9%; 1 case); and Ungrouped/ungroupable (0.9%; 1 case). There were no confirmed cases for any other capsular groups. Several MenW cases throughout 2024 were known to have had recent travel to the Middle East, with similar cases also identified in France and the United States of America (3).
A total of 98 MenB cases were confirmed between October and December 2024, compared to 82 cases in the corresponding period in 2023. During this period, MenB was responsible for 95.5% (63 of 66) of IMD cases in individuals under 25 years of age and 74.5% (35 of 47) of IMD cases in individuals aged 25 years or older (Table 2). Of confirmed cases, 78.6% (11 of 14) of MenW, MenY and MenC occurred in individuals aged over 25 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: October to December 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 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 48 | 58 | 82 | 98 |
| C | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 |
| Ungrouped/ungroupable [note 2] |
– | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| W | – | 3 | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | 8 |
| Y | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Total | 17 | 22 | 25 | 29 | 50 | 62 | 92 | 113 |
Note 1: no cases of group A, E, 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 4 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, to September 2024
| Age groups | Capsular group B | Capsular group C | Capsular group W | Capsular group Y | Capsular group ‘Ungrouped or ungroupable’ [note 2] |
Total number | Total percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 9 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 11 | 9.7% |
| 1 to 4 years | 7 | – | 1 | – | – | 8 | 7.1% |
| 5 to 9 years | 10 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 8.8% |
| 10 to 14 years | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1.8% |
| 15 to 19 years | 26 | – | – | – | - | 26 | 23.0% |
| 20 to 24 years | 9 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 8.0% |
| 25 to 44 years | 13 | – | 2 | – | – | 15 | 13.3% |
| 45 to 64 years | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 15.0% |
| 65 years and over | 9 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 15 | 13.3% |
| Total | 98 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 113 | 100% |
Note 1: No cases of group A, E, 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, number 9, 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
3. Vachon MS, Barret AS, Lucidarme J, Neatherlin J, Rubis AB, Howie RL, and others (2024). ‘Cases of meningococcal dsease associated with travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage: USA, UK and France, 2024’ Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: volume 73, number 22, pages 514 to 516