The Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) today (the 14th) announced an additional confirmed case of epidemic meningococcal meningitis, a foreign woman in her 60s. She entered the country on April 1, 2026, developed abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting on April 3, and on April 4 was taken to the hospital emergency department with fever and was admitted. The hospital reported and testing confirmed infection with epidemic meningococcal meningitis. Her condition is currently stable and she continues treatment in a general ward. Health authorities have identified 21 contacts, including traveling companions and hospital contacts, none of whom have shown suspected symptoms of epidemic meningococcal meningitis, and health authorities are conducting health status follow‑up for all 21 people and preventive medication assessment for 3 people.
The CDC explained that, according to CDC monitoring data, the country has a cumulative total of 5 confirmed cases of epidemic meningococcal meningitis this year, higher than the 0–3 cases recorded during the same period from 2019 to 2025. Statistics over the past ten years (since 2017) show that the majority of cases occur in the 25–64 age group and those aged 65 and above (each accounting for 29.5%), followed by the 19–24 age group (21.3%). The most common infection is meningococcal serogroup B.
The CDC noted that epidemic meningitis cases continue to occur worldwide, with the heaviest disease burden in sub‑Saharan Africa, across the central African “meningitis belt,” where the dry season from December to June each year is the epidemic period, and the main strains are serogroups C, W and X. Vietnam has recently faced a severe outbreak; after 95 cases were reported last year, the situation has persisted, with serogroups A, B, C, W and Y all circulating domestically and causing multiple deaths. Authorities have issued alerts for Hanoi, Ha Nam, Lao Cai and An Giang. Japan has reported 15 cases so far this year, most of them in Aichi Prefecture. In addition, the United Kingdom experienced a serogroup B campus cluster this year, with 21 confirmed cases reported by late March. In North America, Europe and Oceania, most cases are sporadic or small outbreaks caused by serogroups B, C, W and Y.
The CDC stated that epidemic meningococcal meningitis is primarily transmitted by contact with the throat or nasal secretions or droplets of an infected or carrier individual, and effective transmission requires close (e.g., kissing or coughing) or prolonged contact. About 5%–10% of healthy people may be asymptomatic carriers in the nasopharynx, but only a few carriers develop invasive disease; immunocompromised individuals are more susceptible. The incubation period is approximately 2–10 days. Main symptoms include fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, and hemorrhagic rash; sometimes coma and delirium may occur. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, or even shock and death, requiring prompt antibiotic treatment. Infants under one year often present atypical and subtle clinical signs, usually only fever and vomiting, and may show irritability, crying, difficulty feeding, or bulging fontanelle, but not necessarily the classic neck stiffness of meningitis.
The CDC reminds that to prevent epidemic meningococcal meningitis, one should avoid staying for long periods in crowded or poorly ventilated environments and maintain good hand and respiratory hygiene to reduce infection risk; if suspected symptoms appear, seek medical care promptly to prevent condition worsening. According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of our country's Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Advisory Committee, high‑risk groups for epidemic meningococcal infection (including those with persistent complement deficiency, splenic dysfunction, human immunodeficiency virus infection, or who live in or travel to endemic areas) may, after physician assessment, receive self‑paid vaccination with the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine or the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine. More information is available on the CDC’s global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw） The CDC explained that, according to CDC monitoring data, the country has a cumulative total of 5 confirmed cases of epidemic meningococcal meningitis this year, higher than the 0–3 cases recorded during the same period from 2019 to 2025. Statistics over the past ten years (since 2017) show that the majority of cases occur in the 25–64 age group and those aged 65 and above (each accounting for 29.5%), followed by the 19–24 age group (21.3%). The most common infection is meningococcal serogroup B.
The CDC noted that epidemic meningitis cases continue to occur worldwide, with the heaviest disease burden in sub‑Saharan Africa, across the central African “meningitis belt,” where the dry season from December to June each year is the epidemic period, and the main strains are serogroups C, W and X. Vietnam has recently faced a severe outbreak; after 95 cases were reported last year, the situation has persisted, with serogroups A, B, C, W and Y all circulating domestically and causing multiple deaths. Authorities have issued alerts for Hanoi, Ha Nam, Lao Cai and An Giang. Japan has reported 15 cases so far this year, most of them in Aichi Prefecture. In addition, the United Kingdom experienced a serogroup B campus cluster this year, with 21 confirmed cases reported by late March. In North America, Europe and Oceania, most cases are sporadic or small outbreaks caused by serogroups B, C, W and Y.
The CDC stated that epidemic meningococcal meningitis is primarily transmitted by contact with the throat or nasal secretions or droplets of an infected or carrier individual, and effective transmission requires close (e.g., kissing or coughing) or prolonged contact. About 5%–10% of healthy people may be asymptomatic carriers in the nasopharynx, but only a few carriers develop invasive disease; immunocompromised individuals are more susceptible. The incubation period is approximately 2–10 days. Main symptoms include fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, and hemorrhagic rash; sometimes coma and delirium may occur. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, or even shock and death, requiring prompt antibiotic treatment. Infants under one year often present atypical and subtle clinical signs, usually only fever and vomiting, and may show irritability, crying, difficulty feeding, or bulging fontanelle, but not necessarily the classic neck stiffness of meningitis.
The CDC reminds that to prevent epidemic meningococcal meningitis, one should avoid staying for long periods in crowded or poorly ventilated environments and maintain good hand and respiratory hygiene to reduce infection risk; if suspected symptoms appear, seek medical care promptly to prevent condition worsening. According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of our country's Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Advisory Committee, high‑risk groups for epidemic meningococcal infection (including those with persistent complement deficiency, splenic dysfunction, human immunodeficiency virus infection, or who live in or travel to endemic areas) may, after physician assessment, receive self‑paid vaccination with the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine or the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine. More information is available on the CDC’s global website (https://www.cdc.gov.tw）or call the toll‑free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 (0800-001922) for inquiries.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Compiled by: 感管室
