在素有“脑膜炎地带”之称的亚撒哈拉非洲,21个国家承受着流行性脑脊髓膜炎引起的巨大疾病负担。在过去的20年里(1987-2006年),该地带内的脑膜炎爆发引起了100万例以上的病例和近90000例死亡。自2001年上次较大的流行结束以来,流行性脑脊髓膜炎的发病一直都在下降,2005年降至过去20年的最低点。然 In sub-Saharan Africa, known as the “meningitis zone,” 21 countries bear the brunt of the disease burden caused by epidemic meningococcal disease. During the past two decades (1987-2006), a meningitis outbreak in the zone has caused more than one million cases and nearly 90,000 deaths. Since the last major pandemic in 2001, the incidence of meningococcal meningitis has been declining all the way to the lowest level in 20 years in 2005. Of course