Hot Topic! Meningitis

 As the BBC reports on the tragic meningitis outbreak in Kent, here are some resources that might help you to understand this condition more.

Check these resources for an overview, key points, diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up and more.

[You will need your NHS OpenAthens username to access these resources]

BMJ Best Practice – Overview of Meningitis, Bacterial meningitis in adults

Clinical Key (available to UHNM only) – Bacterial Meningitis in Adults, Bacterial Meningitis in Children

Clinical Knowledge Summaries – Meningitis - bacterial meningitis and meningococcal disease

Oxford Medicine Online – Chapter 52 Meningitis in Oxford Clinical Guidelines: Newly Qualified Doctor (2023)

Patient Information

• MenACWY vaccine [BMJ Best Practice]
• Bacterial meningitis in adults [BMJ Best Practice]
• Bacterial Infection of the Lining of the Brain and Spinal Cord (Bacterial Meningitis) in Children: What to Know [Clinical Key]

Clinical Calculators - Bacterial Meningitis Score for Children [Clinical Key]

Selected articles from our journal collection

• The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in the United States during 2008–2023: an analysis of active, laboratory, population-based, multistate surveillance data, Lancet Regional Health – Americas, Prasad, Namrata; Kobayashi, Miwako; Collins, Jennifer P.; Rubis, Amy B.; Derado, Gordana; Delahoy, Miranda J.; Payne, Daniel C.; McGee, Lesley; Chochua, Sopio; Marjuki, Henju; McNamara, Lucy A.; Fox, LeAnne M.; Reingold, Arthur; Barnes, Megan; Petit, Susan; Farley, Monica M.; Harrison, Lee H.; Lynfield, Ruth; Houston, Jessica; Anderson, Bridget J.; Thomas, Ann; Talbot, Keipp H.; Schaffner, William; Cohen, Adam L.; Schrag, Stephanie J.; Arvay, Melissa, Vol. 47, p. 101120, 2025.
• Outcomes of adults with community-acquired bacterial meningitis in the Netherlands: a prospective nationwide cohort study, The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, Drost, Evelien H.G.M.; Schepers, Eva N.; Chekrouni, Nora; van Soest, Thijs M.; Koelman, Diederik L.H.; Bijlsma, Merijn W.; Brouwer, Matthijs C.; van de Beek, Diederik, Vol. 61, p. 101529, 2026.

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