Epidemiological profile of bacterial meningitis in the state of São Paulo

Introduction: Meningitis is an inflammatory process of the meninges, which can be of infectious cause or not. Among the infectious, the bacterial is the most alarming for society, since it has a much higher rate of morbidity and mortality. Objectives: Analyze and describe the epidemiological profile of bacterial meningitis in the State of São Paulo. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological study of cases of bacterial meningitis in the State of São Paulo, carried out through the DATASUS platform, in the period from 2016 to 2020. Results: The State of São Paulo registered 4013 cases of bacterial meningitis, 67.1% of the cases in the Southeast (5977), being responsible for 53% of the cases of this disease in Brazil. The most affected age group in the State was 0 to 4 years, 33.7% of the total, while elderly people aged 80 and over were the least affected (2.3%). As for deaths, São Paulo recorded 862 and a mortality rate of 21.4%, higher than the country average (20.5%), representing 64% of deaths in the Southeast region. In addition, males were the most affected, registering 58.1% of the total, while females registered 41.8%. Conclusions: São Paulo has the majority of cases and deaths from bacterial meningitis in its region, with a mortality rate that exceeds Brazilian averages and which contributes to the Southeast having more than half of the cases of meningitis in Brazil. More active epidemiological surveillance and greater dissemination of information on meningitis and its signs and symptoms is necessary.