Cases of bacterial meningitis, a rare but extremely dangerous disease, have surged in the last 4 years, largely because of falling vaccination rates. Bacterial meningitis infections had dropped by 90% after the CDC recommended that all adolescents receive the vaccine in 2005. Since 2021, cases have spiked as fewer teenagers have received booster shots.
Last week, the CDC announced it will no longer recommend the meningitis vaccine for all adolescents, a change that many physicians and health experts warn will exacerbate the disease’s resurgence.
The disease is still rare (a few thousand Americans are infected per year), but it is very deadly. About 1 in 6 people with bacterial meningitis die. Once infected, a person often becomes sick immediately, experiencing brain inflammation and the death of limb tissue. Sepsis can occur and the patient can die within 24 hours of infection. Even if the patient is diagnosed promptly, approximately 15% of patients don’t survive.
