Abstract Details

Bacterial meningitis remains a public health challenge as it is associated with higher lethality rates and neurological sequelae. Most cases of meningitis in the world are registered in the Sub-Saharan African Belt. The role of particular socio-epidemiological features is essential for the understanding of disease dynamics and policy-making.

To identify socio-epidemiological factors associated with the national cumulative incidence of cerebrospinal meningitis in 2016, emphasizing in countries located at the Sub-Saharan Belt.

Incidences at the Meningitis Belt subregions were 42.47 (Northern), 65.10 (Eastern), 87.23 (Central), and 111.93 (Western) per 100.000 inhabitants. Socio-epidemiological factors related to the national cumulative incidence included the use of sanitation services (IRR 0.99, CI95% 0.98-0.99), gross income per capita (IRR 0.99, CI95% 0.99-0.99), household occupancy (IRR 1.28, CI95% 1.23-1.33), smoking prevalence in women (IRR 0.93, CI95% 0.92-0.95), sex ratio (IRR 0.003, CI95% 0.000-0.071), and the percentage of population aged >65 years (IRR 0.91, CI95% 0.87-0.95). The use of sanitation services (OR 0.94, CI95% 0.89-0.99) and annual temperature (OR 1.91, CI95% 1.27-2.86) contributed to differentiate the Meningitis Belt from the rest of the continent.

The use of sanitation services and annual temperature seem relevant and should be further investigated considering the etiological agents as a significant percentage of probable bacterial meningitis are not laboratory-confirmed. Results should be cautiously interpreted as they are susceptible to ecological bias and require multi-level designs to confirm these findings.