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New Zealand (Aotearoa) experienced a Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B epidemic during 1991-2006, and incidence remains twice that of other high-income countries. We reviewed clinical, laboratory, and immunization data for children <15 years of age with laboratory-confirmed invasive meningococcal disease in Auckland, New Zealand, during January 1, 2004-December 31, 2020. Of 319 cases in 318 children, 4.1% died, and 23.6% with follow-up data experienced sequelae. Children of Māori and Pacific ethnicity and those living in the most deprived areas were overrepresented. Eighty-one percent were positive for N. meningitidis serogroup B, 8.6% for serogroup W, 6.3% for serogroup C, and 3.7% for serogroup Y. Seventy-nine percent had bacteremia, and 63.9% had meningitis. In New Zealand, Māori and Pacific children are disproportionately affected by this preventable disease. N. meningitidis serogroup B vaccine should be included in the New Zealand National Immunization Schedule to address this persistent health inequity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a report on the isolation of OXA-181-producing Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae from a patient hospitalized in Auckland, New Zealand. The patient was given several antimicrobials, including meropenem. The K. pneumoniae displayed resistance to carbapenems, according to Etest and Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints. The potential for multiresistant Enterobacteriaceae to be imported into the countries with low prevalence of carbapenem resistance is noted.