Laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal infection in England: July to September 2025
Published 26 March 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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In England, the national UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)ÌýMeningococcal Reference Unit (MRU)Ìý³¦´Ç²Ô´Ú¾±°ù³¾±ð»å 46 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) between July to September 2025.
Case numbers were very similar to the 48 confirmed in the equivalent period in 2024 (table 1) but lower than the 79 cases in the equivalent period in 2019, before pandemic restrictions were implemented in the UK. Cases in 2020, impacted by COVID-19 population control measures (1), were very low, with 26 confirmed in the equivalent period. Twenty-eight, 43 and 52 cases were confirmed in the second quarter of 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively, as IMD re-emerged.
Earlier reports onÌýIMDÌýcases in England are available:ÌýMeningococcal disease: guidance, data and analysis
Following the complete withdrawal of COVID-19 containment measures in England from July 2021, overall case numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels driven mainly by group B meningococcal disease (MenB). Cases due to the other capsular groups remained very low because of the highly effective indirect (herd) protection provided by the adolescent meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) conjugate vaccine programme introduced from August 2015, alongside direct protection in those vaccinated (2).
The distribution of IMD cases by capsular group between July and September 2025 is summarised in table 1.ÌýMenBÌýaccounted for 91.3% of all cases (42 of 46), followed byÌýMenW: 4.3% (2 ³¦²¹²õ±ð²õ),ÌýMenY: 2.2% (1 case) and Ungrouped/ungroupable: 2.2% (1 case). There were no confirmed cases for any other capsular groups. Several MenW cases throughout 2024 and 2025 were known to have had recent travel to the Middle East, with similar cases also identified in France and the United States of America associated with travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimage (3).
The 42ÌýMenBÌýcases confirmed between July and September 2025 was comparable to 41 cases in the corresponding period in 2024. During this period,ÌýMenBÌýwas responsible for 100% (25 of 25) ofÌýIMDÌýcases in individuals under 25 years of age and 81.0% (17 of 21) of cases in individuals aged 25 years or older (table 2); All (3 of 3) confirmed cases ofÌýMenW andÌýMenYÌýoccurred in individuals aged over 25 years.
The latest vaccine coverage information is available atÌýVaccine uptake guidance and the latest coverage data.
Table 1. Invasive meningococcal disease in England by capsular group and laboratory testing method: July to September only, 2024 and 2025
| Capsular groups [note 1] |
PCR and culture (2024) | PCR and culture (2025) | Culture only (2024) | Culture only (2025) | PCR only (2024) | PCR only (2025) | Total (2024) | Total (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 41 | 42 |
| C | Ìý – Ìý | – | 1 | Ìý – Ìý | – | Ìý –Ìý | Ìý1 | 0Ìý |
| E | Ìý – Ìý | – | 1 | Ìý – Ìý | – | Ìý –Ìý | Ìý1 | 0Ìý |
| W | Ìý – Ìý | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2Ìý |
| Y | – Ìý | 1 | 1 | Ìý – Ìý | – | Ìý –Ìý | Ìý 1 | 1Ìý |
| Ungrouped/ungroupable [note 2] | Ìý – Ìý | – | Ìý –Ìý | Ìý 1 | 1 | Ìý –Ìý | 1 | 1Ìý |
| Total | 8 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 25 | 21 | 48 | 46 |
Note 1: no cases of group A, X or Z were confirmed during the periods summarised in the table.
Note 2: Ungrouped or ungroupable refers to invasive clinical meningococcal isolates that were non-groupable, while ‘ungrouped’ cases refers to culture-negative but PCR screen (ctrA) positive and negative for the four genogroups (B, C, W and Y) routinely tested for.
Table 2. Invasive meningococcal disease in England by capsular group [note 1] and age group at diagnosis: July to September 2025
| Age groups | Capsular group B | Capsular group W | Capsular group Y | Capsular group ‘Ungrouped or ungroupable’ [note 2] |
Total number | Total percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 6 Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 6 | 13.0% |
| 1 to 4 years | 9Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 9 | 19.6% |
| 5 to 9 years | 1 Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 1 | 2.2% |
| 10 to 14 years | – | ÌýÌý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 0 | 0.0% |
| 15 to 19 years | 6 Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 6 | 13.0% |
| 20 to 24 years | 3 Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý – | Ìý 3 | 6.5% |
| 25 to 44 years | 9 | 1 | ÌýÌý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý 10 | 21.7% |
| 45 to 64 years | 5 | ÌýÌý – | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý 1 | 6 | 13.0% |
| 65 years and over | 3 | 1 | 1 | Ìý – Ìý | Ìý5 | 10.9% |
| Total | 42 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 100.0% |
Note 1: No cases of group A, C, E, X or Z were confirmed during the period summarised in the table.
Note 2: Ungrouped or ungroupable refers to invasive clinical meningococcal isolates that were non-groupable, while ‘ungrouped’ cases refers to culture-negative but PCR screen (ctrA) positive and negative for the four genogroups (B, C, W and Y) routinely tested for.
References
1. Subbarao S, Campbell H, Ribeiro S, Clark SA, Lucidarme J and others (2021). ‘’ Emerging Infectious Diseases: volume 27, number 9, pages 2,495 to 2,497
2. Campbell H and others (2022). ‘’ Lancet Child Adolescent Health: volume 6, issue 2
3. Vachon MS, Barret AS, Lucidarme J, Neatherlin J, Rubis AB, Howie RL, and others (2024). ‘’ Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: volume 73, number 22, pages 514 to 516