Aim: To document the long-term outcomes of pneumococcal meningitis in children presenting to a Dublin paediatric hospital in the pre-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) era (1998-2007).
Methods: Subjects with pneumococcal meningitis were identified at The Children's University Hospital, Dublin through the hospital surveillance system and laboratory archives.
Results: 44 children were identified with S. pneumoniae meningitis. Mean age of presentation was 23.45 months (2 days to 13 years) and 28 (65%) cases were less than 12 months old. Eight (18.6%) children died. 55% of cases were left with significant deficits. Of the survivors, 7 (20%) had moderate to severe neurological sequelae.
Conclusion: Pneumococcal meningitis is a devastating childhood disease with significant mortality and morbidity, especially in those less than 2 years of age. These data provide a baseline against which the impact of PCV7 on pneumococcal meningitis can be measured.