Childhood bacterial meningitis in Kuwait.

A total of 110 cases of bacterial meningitis were studied over a 7-year period. The attack rate was 3.2/100,000 overall and 13/100,000 in children under 12 years. Haemophilus influenzae was the most common pathogen (44.3%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (20.9%) and Neisseria meningitidis (12.7%). The mean patient age was 2.7 years, but 44/49 cases of H. influenzae meningitis were in children under 2 years, an attack rate of 31/100,000. The mortality was 22.4% for neonates and 6.5% for other children, and was associated with coma at presentation and unusual microorganisms. Neurological sequelae were detected in 19% of surviving children.