Meningococcal disease in Catalonia, Spain (1990-1997)

We aimed to study the behavior of meningococcal disease in Catalonia during the period 1990-1997, identifying the possible epidemic periods. All cases reported to the notifiable disease system which fulfilled the criteria of confirmed or suspected cases during this period were analyzed. The global incidence rate was 4.8/100,000. The incidence rate for serogroup B was 1.9/100,000 and for serogroup C 0.8/100,000. The disease incidence tended to diminish slightly during the study period, with a constant annual growth of 0.11/100,000. The increased incidence of serogroup C cases in 1996-1997 was associated with an increased incidence in the 10-19 years age group. Globally, in the 1990-1997 period, the disease incidence tended to diminish slightly. During the last two years, an increased incidence was observed, mostly due to the increase in the number of serogroup C cases. This fact was associated with a change in the age pattern of cases, which increased in the 10-19 years age group, as observed in other countries and coinciding with epidemic periods or greater meningococcal activity.