Read More HSE monitoring meningitis outbreak in England with help of UK health authoritiesInvasive meningococcal disease is a serious but uncommon illness caused by meningococcal bacteria. The bacteria that cause meningococcal disease are common and can live naturally in the back of the nose and throat. The key question on every parent’s lips is why some people develop meningococcal disease and others don’t. Meningococcal disease can be treated — the earlier antibiotics are given the greater chance that a person will make a full recovery. The precipitous decline in recent decades in meningococcal disease is one more example of the massive impact of modern vaccines in reducing deaths and lifelong illness from infectious disease in children.

Source: Irish Examiner March 20, 2026 14:33 UTC