WHO Launches First-Ever Global Guidelines to Improve Meningitis Diagnosis, Treatment and Long-Term Care.
Geneva:
In a landmark step to combat one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first-ever global clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of meningitis. The new guidelines are aimed at speeding up detection, ensuring timely and effective treatment, and improving long-term care for survivors, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Despite the availability of effective vaccines and treatments, meningitis continues to pose a major public health threat. Bacterial meningitis, the most dangerous form, can become fatal within just 24 hours. According to WHO, an estimated 2.5 million meningitis cases were reported worldwide in 2019, with bacterial infections accounting for 1.6 million cases and around 240,000 deaths.
“Bacterial meningitis kills one in six people it infects, and leaves many more with lasting disabilities,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Implementing these new guidelines will help save lives, improve long-term care for those affected, and strengthen health systems.”
A Comprehensive Approach to Clinical Care
The guidelines, based on the latest scientific evidence, are designed for health professionals treating patients over one month of age, including children, adolescents, and adults with acute community-acquired meningitis. They cover:
- Diagnosis and detection
- Appropriate antibiotic use
- Adjunctive and supportive therapy
- Management of long-term effects such as hearing loss, cognitive issues, and physical disability
Crucially, the guidance also applies to both bacterial and viral causes of meningitis and includes recommendations for epidemic and non-epidemic settings. The new document replaces earlier WHO outbreak response guidelines from 2014.
A Focus on High-Burden, Low-Resource Regions
The guidelines are especially tailored for resource-limited settings, where the burden of meningitis is highest and where health systems often lack the capacity for rapid diagnosis and long-term care. One such region is sub-Saharan Africa’s “meningitis belt”, which faces recurrent meningococcal meningitis outbreaks and has some of the highest global rates of the disease.
The WHO underscores the importance of equipping first- and second-level health facilities—including emergency rooms, inpatient, and outpatient services—with the tools to implement these new guidelines. Policymakers, public health officials, academic institutions, and civil society organizations are also encouraged to use the document to inform training, planning, and research efforts.
Supporting the Global Goal to Defeat Meningitis by 2030
This new initiative supports the Defeating Meningitis by 2030 global roadmap, a strategy adopted by WHO Member States in 2020 to eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics and significantly reduce its impact. The roadmap outlines five key pillars:
- Diagnosis and treatment: Improve early detection and clinical response.
- Prevention and epidemic control: Expand vaccine access and epidemic preparedness.
- Surveillance: Enhance disease monitoring to inform interventions.
- Care and support: Address post-infection complications and ensure long-term care.
- Advocacy and engagement: Raise public awareness and political commitment.
The roadmap’s goals include reducing vaccine-preventable meningitis cases by 50%, cutting related deaths by 70%, and improving the quality of life for those living with long-term effects of the disease.
A Critical Milestone in Global Health
By consolidating essential clinical guidance into a single, globally applicable resource, WHO hopes to close existing gaps in meningitis care and reduce the devastating impact of the disease worldwide. The release of these guidelines marks a pivotal advancement in the fight against meningitis and serves as a rallying call for countries to invest in better prevention, faster diagnosis, stronger care systems, and support for survivors.
“With this tool in hand, countries now have what they need to turn the tide on meningitis,” Dr. Tedros added. “Now we must act.”
