Acute bacterial meningitis in children presenting to the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK and the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi: a world of difference

Abstract

Mortality from bacterial meningitis in Malawian children is much higher than in British children, even when infected with the same organisms. This might be owing to delay in presentation, malnutrition and HIV infection. Immunisation of Malawian children with conjugate vaccines should continue to develop since their risk of dying from meningitis is five times greater than that of British children.