Meningitis epidemics shift in sub-Saharan belt

Meningococcal meningitis (MCM) poses a serious threat to public health in Africa. Epidemics appear irregularly every 5-12 years, especially in the regions across sub-Saharan 'meningitis belt'. This study investigated the long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of MCM. It appears that dominant epidemic outbreaks in the meningitis belt spread from west to east over the study period 2006-2016. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.