Epidemiological characteristics and disease control of meningitis in Xi′an

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and disease control of epi-demic cerebrospinal meningitis （meningitis） in Xi′an in order to optimize the measurement for disease con-trol and prevention .Methods The reported cases , pathogen surveillance data and immunization coverage for meningitis were analyzed to evaluate the epidemic status , the number of healthy carriers and the disease control efficacy.Results The incidence of meningitis was 22.51/100 000 from 1951 to 1984 in Xi′an. Since the implementation of Expanded Immunity Program in 1984 , the incidence dropped significantly from the average incidence of 4.87/100 000 in 1980′s to 0.59/100 000 in 1990′s.The average incidence of men-ingitis was 0.095/100 000 from 2001 to 2011 and then showed a dramatic downtrend with no cases reported during 2012 to 2013 .Conclusion The analysis suggested that an expanded coverage of vaccine immuniza -tion and an enhanced disease surveillance system for meningitis should be used as the comprehensive meas -urements for the prevention and control of disease . Key words: Epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis; Epidemiological characteristics; Control strategy