Neonatal meningitis: Can we do better?

Abstract

Bacterial meningitis is a serious disease worldwide. The greatest risk of acquiring meningitis is in the neonatal period. Neonatal meningitis is associated with significant mortality and, despite improvements in healthcare over the last two decades; severe neurological sequelae remain common and unchanged. There is an urgent need to identify interventions that may have an impact on clinical outcome. Here we discuss the epidemiology and the current management of neonatal bacterial meningitis with a view to identifying areas for future research. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.