Table 1.
Characteristics of Children With Suspected Meningitis (N = 4008)
| Characteristic | Children, No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Age, mo | |
| 0–11 | 1853 (46.2) |
| 12–23 | 729 (18.2) |
| 24–59 | 1419 (35.4) |
| Unknown | 7 (0.2) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 2155 (53.8) |
| Female | 1853 (46.2) |
| Region | |
| Ashanti | 2561 (63.9) |
| Greater Accra | 1160 (28.9) |
| Other | 287 (7.2) |
| Case type | |
| Confirmed | 31 (0.8) |
| Probable | 387 (9.7) |
| Suspected | 3590 (89.5) |
| Final diagnosisa | |
| Pneumonia | 83 (2.1) |
| Meningitis | 211 (5.3) |
| Septicemia | 547 (13.6) |
| Other | 512 (12.8) |
| Unknown | 2655 (66.2) |
| Comorbidity | |
| No | 1138 (28.4) |
| Yes | 157 (3.9) |
| Unknown | 2713 (67.7) |
| Antibiotics before admission | |
| No | 600 (15.0) |
| Yes | 915 (22.8) |
| Unknown | 2493 (62.2) |
| Outcome | |
| Discharged alive | 3591 (89.6) |
| Died | 226 (5.6) |
| Unknown | 191 (4.8) |
| No. of vaccine doses | |
| PCV13b | |
| 1 | 33 (0.8) |
| 2 | 49 (1.2) |
| 3 | 254 (6.3) |
| Not recordedc | 3672 (91.6) |
| Hib vaccineb | |
| 1 | 78 (1.9) |
| 2 | 141 (3.5) |
| 3 | 1369 (34.2) |
| Not recordedc | 2420 (60.4) |
Abbreviations: Hib, Haemophilus influenzae type b; PCV13, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
aFinal diagnosis according to the clinician.
bDoses derived from the actual number of dates recorded for 1, 2, or 3 doses.
cNo record of vaccination date for all 3 doses.