Key points
- Public health officials track all meningococcal disease in the United States using multiple surveillance systems.
- Health departments respond to every case to implement control measures to reduce disease spread.
- Learn about the latest trends in meningococcal disease.
Explore the data
U.S. rates of meningococcal disease have declined since the 1990s. However, cases have increased sharply since 2021 and now exceed pre-pandemic levels. Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y drives much of this recent increase.
People disproportionately affected by this increase include:
- People between the ages of 30 and 60 years
- Black or African American people
- Adults with HIV
In 2025, 463 confirmed and probable cases were reported based on preliminary data. This is the second-largest number of U.S. meningococcal disease cases reported since 2013. The number of cases generally peaks each year in January, February, and March.
In additional to the figures below, surveillance data and reports are available.
Incidence by serogroup
Disease incidence due to serogroup Y began increasing in 2022.
Use the figure below to see meningococcal disease incidence by serogroup since 2006. You can also view the data in table format by clicking on "Data Table" beneath the figure.
Incidence by serogroup and age
Anyone can get meningococcal disease. However, rates of disease are highest in children younger than 1 year old, followed by a second peak in adolescence. Among adolescents and young adults, those 16 through 23 years old have the highest rates of meningococcal disease. Also, the proportion of cases caused by each serogroup varies by age group.
Use the figure below to see meningococcal disease incidence by serogroup and age since 2016. You can also view the data in table format by clicking on "Data Table" beneath the figure.
Antimicrobial resistance
Since 2019, CDC has detected penicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant serogroup Y meningococcal isolates in the United States.
Surveillance reports
NNDSS
Meningococcal disease is a reportable condition in all states. CDC collects national information about meningococcal disease through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). CDC receives NNDSS data each week.
View NNDSS infectious disease data tables.
ABCs
CDC also collects information from laboratories in 10 areas of the country through Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs). ABCs is part of CDC's Emerging Infections Program.
View ABCs annual reports for N. meningitidis.
Enhanced surveillance
Health departments from all 50 states and several large jurisdictions collect enhanced meningococcal disease data and isolates. This enhanced surveillance began in 2015 in order to
- Collect more complete data to monitor disease epidemiology
- Inform policy decisions
- Collect isolates from a broad and representative population
View meningococcal disease data, including case counts and incidence by serogroup and age. Reports also include vaccination history of cases, meningococcal related deaths, incidence by serogroup and college attendance, and HIV status.
- 2023 final surveillance report
- 2022 final surveillance report
- 2021 final surveillance report
- 2020 final surveillance report
Older surveillance reports can be found at CDC Stacks.