Country Information updates: meningococcal disease

NaTHNaC has reviewed the country-specific meningococcal disease information and meningococcal (meningitis) ACWY vaccine recommendations for United Kingdom (UK) travellers on the TravelHealthPro website

NaTHNaC and the UK Health Security Agency have recently reviewed destination-specific meningococcal disease information and meningococcal (meningitis) ACWY vaccine guidance to provide up-to-date recommendations for UK travellers and travel health professionals. Further information is available about this review.

Meningococcal disease is a rare, but potentially devastating infection, caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. The six most common disease-causing types are: A, B, C, W, Y and X. The disease is most common in the 'meningitis belt' of sub-Saharan Africa, which extends from Senegal in the west across to Ethiopia in the east, particularly during the dry season [1]. Cases and outbreaks have also been linked to Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a serious and potentially fatal group of infections that cause meningitis and/or septicaemia.

Advice for travellers

Before you travel

Check our Country Information pages for the latest guidance on meningococcal (meningitis) ACWY vaccination, other recommended travel vaccines, malaria and other health risks for your destination.

Make sure you are protected against IMD and are aware of the symptoms of IMD.

See our Hajj and Umrah advice if you are planning a pilgrimage or seasonal work in Saudi Arabia.

While you are away

• Follow good personal and hand hygiene rules
• Try to avoid any contact with other people's respiratory or throat secretions (mucus/snot and saliva/spit) – never share drinks and eating utensils
• Try to avoid close contact with anyone who appears to be ill and avoid sharing their personal belongings

When you return

IMD can be hard to identify at first because it can be like a bad case of flu, but anyone affected will usually become seriously ill within a few hours.

If you are ill after your trip, be aware of the symptoms of IMD: fever, headache, a stiff neck, a rash, severe pain/aches in limbs and joints. If you are worried about your own or someone else's health, particularly if symptoms are getting worse, get urgent medical help, as early treatment can be life-saving.

Remember to tell your doctor, nurse or other health professional you recently travelled to a country with a risk of IMD.

Advice for health professionals

Health professionals advising travellers should check our Country Information pages and offer the quadrivalent meningococcal ACWY conjugate vaccine if recommended, ideally at least 10 days before travel. This will also help protect close family and communities on return from travel.

Health professionals should consider IMD in returned travellers with a fever or any other IMD symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical because IMD is potentially fatal. Diagnosis can be confirmed by isolation of the organism from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid through culture. Antigen detection techniques or polymerase chain reaction is also used [2].

Further information is available from the UK Health Security Agency – Meningococcal disease: guidance on public health management.

If any travel-related infection is suspected, this should be discussed urgently with your local microbiology, virology or infectious diseases consultant, giving a full travel/clinical history. They may advise that appropriate samples are sent for testing to specialist laboratory facilities in the UK.