Increase in serogroup W invasive meningococcal disease in England associated with pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, January 2024 to June 2025

England is experiencing an increase in serogroup W invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by ‘strain A’ of the meningococcal sequence type 11 clonal complex (MenW:cc11) Hajj strain sublineage. Travel-associated and non-travel-associated meningococci from four strain A substrains (A1–A4) account...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Shamez N Ladhani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control 2025-08-01
Series:Eurosurveillance
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Online Access:https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.31.2500509
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Summary:England is experiencing an increase in serogroup W invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by ‘strain A’ of the meningococcal sequence type 11 clonal complex (MenW:cc11) Hajj strain sublineage. Travel-associated and non-travel-associated meningococci from four strain A substrains (A1–A4) accounted for 32 of 59 MenW IMD cases between January 2024 and June 2025, 14 in people returning from Saudi Arabia or household contacts; eight of 14 linked to Umrah pilgrimage. Communications about MenACWY vaccination for pilgrims year-round should be reinforced.
ISSN:1560-7917