title: Meningitis in Hong Kong children, with special reference to the infrequency of haemophilus and meningococcal infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the epidemiologic and aetiologic features of meningitis in children in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of 85 children resident in the New Territory East region of Hong Kong admitted to a teaching Hospital because of meningitis during a 9 year period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis was the most common aetiological agent accounting for 13 cases (15.3%). Other bacteria accounted for 41 cases (48%); among these one fifth were caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b. The overall admission rates for tuberculous meningitis in Chinese children were 0.76/100,000 (95% CI 0.25-1.78) and 0.42/100,000 (CI 0.19-0.8) per year, respectively, for under 5 year olds and under 15 year olds. The overall annual incidence rates of bacterial meningitis other than tuberculous were 5.2/100,000 (CI 3.72-7.43) and 1.6/100,000 (CI 1.14-2.29) for Chinese children under 5 years and under 15 years, respectively. The annual incidence of H. influenzae meningitis in Chinese children under 5 years old was low at 1.1/100,000 (0.43-2.2). All five cases of meningococcal meningitis were in Vietnamese children (under 5 years of age incidence: 13.0/100,000 per year, CI 4.2-30.3). There were no cases of meningococcal meningitis in Chinese children during the 9 year period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  M. tuberculosis was the most common aetiological agent of meningitis in Hong Kong children. The incidence of haemophilus or meningococcal meningitis was very low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Microbiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Senok
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oppenheimer
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008583:Meningitis, Haemophilus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*