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Epidemiology of Meningococcal Disease in North America

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Book cover Meningococcal Disease

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Medicine™ ((MIMM,volume 67))

Abstract

Invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis is one of the leading infectious causes of death in childhood in North America (1), but its prevention has not received the same priority on the health agenda as in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. There are several likely explanations, but the principal one is that disease incidence appears to be lower in both Canada (2) and the United States (3) than in some of these other countries (4,5). Here, we describe recent epidemiological data concerning meningococcal infection in Canada and the United States and comment on the possible future introduction of vaccination to prevent meningococcal disease across the continent.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. BC Research Institute for Children & Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC

    Andrew J. Pollard

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious and Immunologic Diseases, BC′s Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC

    David Scheifele

  3. Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

    Nancy Rosenstein

Authors
  1. Andrew J. Pollard
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  2. David Scheifele
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  3. Nancy Rosenstein
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. BC Research Institute for Children’s and Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Andrew J. Pollard MD, PhD

  2. Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Oxford, UK

    Martin C. J. Maiden PhD

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© 2001 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Pollard, A.J., Scheifele, D., Rosenstein, N. (2001). Epidemiology of Meningococcal Disease in North America. In: Walker, J.M., Pollard, A.J., Maiden, M.C.J. (eds) Meningococcal Disease. Methods in Molecular Medicine™, vol 67. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-149-3:341

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-149-3:341

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-849-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-149-7

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