Sebsibe Tadesse, Tibeso Gemechu, Kebebew Lemma, Embay Amare Alemseged, Abraham Lomboro Dimore, Hiwot Hailu Amare, Jemal Bedewi, Zufan Tessema, Abera Mersha, Yemane Berhane Tesfau, Embaba Tekelaye Welesemayat, Boko Loka Safayi, Alqeer Aliyo, Belda Negesa Beyene, Girma Ashenafi, Geleta Nenko Dube, Beka Yambo Jofa, Anteneh Fikrie
ESSA faces a severe neonatal meningitis burden skewed toward early neonates. Urgent strategies must scale up maternal screening, intrapartum antibiotics, and rapid diagnostics for fast-tracked treatment.
OBJECTIVE: Quantify neonatal meningitis incidence and years of life lost (YLLs) in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) from 1990 to 2023.
METHODS: Secondary analysis of GBD data analyzed temporal trends by location, year and sex. Bayesian meta-regression estimated incidence, cause of death ensemble modeling calculated YLLs, and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression smoothed trends. Estimates include 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs).
RESULTS: In 2023, ESSA's neonatal meningitis incidence rate was 2,542 per 100,000 (95% UI: 2,043-3,065), heavily concentrated in early neonates (5,415) versus late neonates (1,574). The regional YLL rate was 24,855 per 100,000, driven by early neonates (66,882). Somalia and South Sudan exceeded regional averages. Globally, YLL rates declined from 1990 to 2023 (Annual Rate of Change: -0.70%).
CONCLUSION: ESSA faces a severe neonatal meningitis burden skewed toward early neonates. Urgent strategies must scale up maternal screening, intrapartum antibiotics, and rapid diagnostics for fast-tracked treatment.