Strengthening regional surveillance: MenMap Network’s year 1 findings on bacterial meningitis in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq (2023-2024)

Objectives: Vaccine-preventable invasive bacterial diseases remain a public health concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. To address surveillance and diagnostic gaps, the Meningitis and Septicemia Mapping Network (MenMap) was launched as a prospective, multicenter sentinel surveillance system to strengthen laboratory capacity and regional collaboration in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. This study reports the first-year MenMap findings (December 2023 to November 2024), describing bacterial meningitis epidemiology, pathogen distribution, vaccination status, clinical presentation, and outcomes among laboratory-confirmed cases in Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. Methods: Prospective sentinel hospital-based surveillance was implemented in 16 hospitals, targeting children aged 1 month to 18 years. Suspected cases were defined according to World Health Organization criteria and included patients presenting with clinical signs of meningitis and undergoing cerebrospinal fluid and/or blood sampling. Standardized protocols included clinical evaluations, real-time polymerase chain reaction for pathogen detection, and continuous monitoring systems. An external quality assessment scheme ensured laboratory diagnostic quality and accuracy. Results: (2.1%). Most confirmed cases were from Iraq (63.3%), and 62% across the three countries occurred in children aged <5 years. Conclusion: type b immunization programs, alongside improvements in pathogen detection and characterization.