Researching meningitis: the latest progress

We’re bringing you the second in our series of meningitis research round-ups. This issue spotlights the latest research driving progress to defeat meningitis by 2030.

These studies inform global efforts to better prevent, diagnose and treat this disease. They span vaccine coverage, improving care and understanding after-effects.

The second issue of Researching meningitis: the latest progress

In this issue you can read about:

• How newer, more cost-effective vaccines like PCV20 could protect more children from meningitis in England.
• How recent research suggests that the true burden of meningitis is underestimated, especially in low-resource settings.
• A trial of a low-cost diagnosis and healthcare package in Brazil, India and Malawi that improved access to testing and faster identification of brain infections.
• The impact of meningococcal disease on families, including ongoing physical, emotional and financial challenges that extend far beyond hospital discharge.
• How TB meningitis cases in children are often missed, leading to preventable deaths and disabilities, and why better tracking and hospital care are urgently needed.

Read issue 2 of Researching meningitis: the latest progress now.

Playing our part in funding and supporting research on meningitis

Across the world, projects are underway all year round and we are proud to have played our part in funding, supporting and enabling groundbreaking research projects since we were founded in 1989.

At the heart of our vision for a world free from meningitis is our bold research strategy for 2025–2030. Shaped by input from supporters and the research community, it reflects a renewed commitment to focused, meaningful research. To support this, we are investing up to £1 million in pioneering, high-impact projects worldwide, accelerating progress toward defeating meningitis.

Alongside  investing over £19.5 million in vital scientific research so far, we also bring together the world’s leading scientific and medical experts at our Meningitis Spotlight Session and biennual conference.

This year’s Meningitis Research Foundation Conference 2025 continues to build on this, bringing together global experts to examine the evolving challenges in meningitis research. With a full and varied two-day programme, involving oral presentations, panel discussions and poster presentations, it provides a showcase for talent and cutting-edge research.

Sign up to our mailing list to get notified of news related to our grant funding rounds and events: www.meningitis.org/healthcare-professionals/stay-up-to-date.