Latest data 1.1. Significance of these data 2.1. The number of cases reported to the PHLS Meningococcus Reference Unit last week was 52, compared with 48 in the same week of 1999.
Meningococcal disease is an infectious disease that peaks during winter.
Meningococci are bugs that usually live in the nose or back of the throat of people without harming them. Some people have brain damage and are left with permanent deafness or learning difficulties, others suffer damage to parts of their arms or legs which have to be amputated. Young children and teenagers are at greatest risk of developing meningococcal disease. It is not known why some people develop meningococcal disease while most others are unaffected. Nor is it known why the disease is more common in winter than in summer.