The number of cases of bacterial meningitis, including meningococcal septicaemia, notified to my Department in each of the past five years is as follows: 1995, 382; 1996, 410; 1997, 508; 1998, 491; 1999, 614 (provisional)
The age-standardised incidence of laboratory-confirmed bacterial meningitis is Ireland is the highest in Europe, at 7.1 cases per 100,000 population in 1997-8. The European average is 1.5 cases per 100,000. By way of comparison, the age-standardised incidence per 100,000 in other EU countries, where available, is as follows:Austria, 1.2; Belgium, 2.3; England & Wales, 3.2 (estimated); France, 0.6; Germany, 0.5; Greece, 1.0; Netherlands, 3.3; Northern Ireland, 3.1; Scotland, 5.5; Spain, 1.4.
My Department has funded the establishment of the Meningococcal Reference Laboratory at the Children's Hospital, Temple Street. The diagnostic service provided by this laboratory, using PCR techniques, has had a significant impact on case ascertainment and confirmation of the diagnosis of invasive meningococcal disease. As a significant proportion of meningitis cases in Ireland are now laboratory-confirmed using PCR, which is not the case in all countries, the incidence figures for other countries may understate their position.
Given the high incidence of meningitis in Ireland, a range of measures has been adopted in order to ensure that the best systems are in place for the surveillance, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this disease. The working group on bacterial meningitis, which was established in 1996 under the chairmanship of my Department's Deputy Chief Medical Officer and which published reports in 1997 and 1999, includes among its members a range of medical experts who are closely involved in dealing with meningococcal disease in Ireland. The group has prepared and issued detailed advice on the surveillance, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of meningitis and it continues to monitor developments, including the outcome of research, at national and international level, so as to ensure that its advice is in line with best practice.