Current Trends in Meningococcal Infection and Possibilities of Vaccine Prevention

Relevance. Meningococcal infection is characterized by highly variable epidemiology, unpredictable disease outcomes, difficulty in diagnosis, high mortality and disability rates, and a predominantly young child epidemic. 
Aim. To identify the epidemiological manifestations of meningococcal infection in the Russian Federation over an eleven-year observation period (2014–2024) and over a three-month period in 2025 (January–March). 
Materials and Methods. To analyze official incidence rates in the Russian Federation, Forms 1 and 2 of the State Statistical Reporting "Information on Infectious and Parasitic Morbidity" for 2014–2024 and Form 1 for January–March 2025 were used. In addition to official statistical reporting, an analysis of cases of generalized meningococcal infection (GFMI) was conducted based on data from reporting forms No. 1 of the Russian Reference Center for Monitoring Bacterial Meningitis (RCBM). 
Results. The average annual incidence rate (AAR) of generalized meningococcal infection (GMII) for 2014-2024 was 0.45 per 100,000 population. The Central Federal District (FD), and Moscow among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, were most actively involved in the epidemic process. The incidence rate was predominantly among children under 1 year of age. The highest mortality rate was determined among children aged 0-17 years (AAR 0.27 per 100,000 population). Changes in the serogroup landscape of meningococcal strains were observed, with a shift from serogroup A, the leading serogroup in 2022, to serogroup W, the leading serogroup in 2023 and 2024. Against a background of relative epidemiological well-being, starting in December 2024 and over the first 3 months of 2025, the incidence rate in the Russian Federation increased by 4.4 times. Across regions, a steady increase in incidence was observed only in Moscow, where the rate increased 5.6-fold. Serogroup A was identified as the leading serogroup (up to 65 %). An analysis of incidence for the first three months of 2025 allows us to conclude that the meningococcal epidemic in Moscow reflects the epidemic in the Russian Federation as a whole. 
Conclusion. Given changes in the epidemiology of meningococcal infection, the identification of prerequisites for aggravating the epidemiological situation, the presence of significant migration flows, the predominant involvement of children under 1 year of age in the epidemic, and constant changes in the serogroup landscape of invasive meningococcal strains, it is necessary to expand the scope of vaccination within the regional immunization schedules and immediately include vaccination of children in the first year of life in the National Immunization Schedule using multicomponent vaccines.

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