Meningococcal Cases Reach Second-Highest Level in Over a Decade as Drug-Resistant Strain Disproportionately Hits Black Americans

CDC surveillance data (updated June 2026): 463 meningococcal disease cases in 2025 — the second-highest annual count since 2014. The dominant ST-1466 strain is drug resistant and disproportionately kills Black adults ages 30–60 and people with HIV. Here is the full picture.