title: The disease burden of invasive meningococcal serogroup B disease in Canada.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Invasive meningococcal disease remains a rare but deadly infection in Canada. New serogroup B vaccines may offer the potential for prevention and control. This report examines the disease burden caused by serogroup B invasive meningococcal infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2002 to 2011, active, population-based metropolitan area surveillance for adult and pediatric hospital admissions for adult and pediatric hospital admissions for laboratory-confirmed infection with Neisseria meningitidis, was conducted by the 12 centers of the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program, Active.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 769 invasive meningococcal cases occurred from 2002 to 2011; 54% (n = 413) in children with a peak incidence of 6.16 (95% confidence interval: 3.18-10.76) per 100,000 in children aged <1 year in 2009. Serogroup B accounted for the largest proportion of cases and had the highest incidence of all serogroups across all ages, with a peak incidence of 0.31 (0.23-0.40) per 100,000 in 2007. Serogroup B case fatality rate was 4.3% in children, and 21% of pediatric survivors had sequelae. B:17:P1.19 ST-269 was the most frequently detected antigenic type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serogroup B invasive meningococcal infections caused substantial morbidity and mortality and are the leading cause of invasive meningococcal disease in Canada. The proportion of cases potentially preventable with the new serogroup B vaccines should be evaluated to determine whether universal immunization programs are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Evaluation Center, BC Children's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. jbettinger@cfri.ca
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bettinger
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Scheifele
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Le Saux
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Halperin
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vaudry
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tsang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D009017:Morbidity; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*