New Zealand (Aotearoa) experienced a Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B epidemic during 1991-2006, and incidence remains twice that of other high-income countries. We reviewed clinical, laboratory, and immunization data for children <15 years of age with laboratory-confirmed invasive meningococcal disease in Auckland, New Zealand, during January 1, 2004-December 31, 2020. Of 319 cases in 318 children, 4.1% died, and 23.6% with follow-up data experienced sequelae. Children of Māori and Pacific ethnicity and those living in the most deprived areas were overrepresented. Eighty-one percent were positive for N. meningitidis serogroup B, 8.6% for serogroup W, 6.3% for serogroup C, and 3.7% for serogroup Y. Seventy-nine percent had bacteremia, and 63.9% had meningitis. In New Zealand, Māori and Pacific children are disproportionately affected by this preventable disease. N. meningitidis serogroup B vaccine should be included in the New Zealand National Immunization Schedule to address this persistent health inequity.
Keywords: Meningococcal disease; Neisseria meningitidis; New Zealand; bacteremia; bacteria; bacterial infections; health disparity; meningitis/encephalitis; pediatric; sepsis.