Meningococcic Disease in Spain Epidemiological Study of 2.424 Cases in the Province of Valen

Abstract

The morbidity from meningococcic disease (EM) is studied for Spain and for Valencia province from 1940 to 1988, and the evolution of mortality from this disease until 1985. After a period of high incidence. a considerable reduction is noted in recent years (1982-l 988). As for Valencia province, 2,424 retrospective epidemiological polls have been studied from people with EM form 1979 to 1988. It has been observed that those most affected are children under five years of age. It has also been seen that the districts most affected by this disease were those on the coast, with greatest density of popuiation, as well as the neighbourhoods of Valencia City with the lowest socio-economic leve1 and greatest indices of over-crowding. Finally, we indicate that in microbiological analyses, Serogroup B meningococcus is present in more than 80 % of those isolated.