Challenges of Unpredictability: Meningitis Prevention Takes Everyone’s Continuous Vigilance – Interview with A Key Opinion Leader

Meningitis is rare and unpredictable, with a high case fatality rate and devastating long-term sequelae.Meningitis is largely preventable through vaccination, but progress in the fight against this unpredictable disease is behind other vaccinepreventable diseases.Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (N.meningitidis), is a major cause of meningitis and septicaemia.More than one million cases of IMD are reported annually, with an overall case fatality rate estimated to be between 4.1-20.0%.Meningococcal meningitis can develop in anyone, at any age, anywhere, at any time, and outbreaks are unpredictable, occurring even in settings where disease incidence is low.In most cases, there are no identifiable environmental, setting, or host risk factors for meningococcal meningitis, and it is not possible to predict whether an individual will develop meningitis or the severity