Bacteria that cause meningitis are spreading again, the CDC warns
By the numbers: an increasing mortality rate.The disease is caused by infection with a bacterium called Neisseria meningitidis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 422 cases of invasive meningococcal disease were reported in the United States last year, the highest number since 2014.But as of Monday, 143 cases have been reported to the CDC this year, 62 more than the number of cases reported last year during the same period.The disease is extremely dangerous. Even with adequate treatment, 10 to 15 percent of patients who develop meningococcal disease will die. Many recent cases have been caused by an unusual strain of N. meningitidis called ST-1466. This strain caused 17 deaths among 94 patients whose outcomes are known, for a mortality rate of 18%.Survivors of...