Incidence and prognosis of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis in children in a Swedish region

Haemophilus influenzae meningitis in children 0 to 15 years old was studied retrospectively in a defined region of southwest Sweden from 1971 through 1980; 147 patients with culture-verified H. influenzae meningitis were found. Sixty-seven of them were younger than 18 months and would not have been protected by a purified H. influenzae b polysaccharide vaccine. The age-specific yearly incidence was 27 per 100,000 in the 0- to 4-year age group, 4 per 100,000 in the 5- to 9-year age group and 1 per 100,000 in the 10- to 15-year age group. Predisposing factors were found in only three patients. Two patients died, 3 developed severe neurological sequelae and 19 developed irreversible auditory impairment.