Meningococcal Disease

Reports of illness resembling meningococcal disease date back to the 16th century. The description reported by Vieusseux in 1805 is generally thought to be the first definitive identification of the disease,1 and the causative organism, Neisseria meningitidis, was first isolated in 1887.2 Yet meningococcal disease remains a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis in the United States and a major cause of epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. Short of abolishing tobacco use, which is thought to be responsible for almost one third of cases,3 routine vaccination of high-risk populations is likely to be the most effective public health strategy . . .