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Volume 32, Number 10—October 2026
Dispatch
Clinical Characterization of Invasive Meningococcal Disease Epidemic, Uzbekistan, 2026
, Laziz N. Tuychiev, Nilufar T. Khamzayeva, Nigora U. Tadjiyeva, Nargiza S. Saidkasimova, Nargiza X. Otamuratova, and Xolmamat N. Norboev
Table 2
Clinical predictors of fatal outcome determined by univariable and multivariable analyses in study of invasive meningococcal disease epidemic in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2026*
| Variable | CFR present, % | CFR absent, % | Crude OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR (95% CI) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical signs, univariable | |||||
| Meningeal signs | 50.0 | 7.9 | 11.65 (2.71–50.13) | NA | 0.003† |
| Loss of consciousness | 8.8 | 9.8 | 0.89 (0.38–2.08) | NA | 0.785 |
| Hemorrhagic rash | 9.3 | 9.1 | 1.02 (0.43–2.43) | NA | 0.964 |
| Fever >38°C | 9.3 | 9.1 | 1.02 (0.43–2.43) | NA | 0.964 |
| Vomiting |
8.2 |
10.7 |
0.75 (0.32–1.75) |
NA |
0.503 |
| Multivariable logistic regression‡ | |||||
| Age at onset, 12 mo. | 1.06 (1.02–1.11) | 0.005 | |||
| Sterile site confirmed |
1.61 (0.50–5.15) | 0.424 | |||
*N = 261 case-patients. CFR, case fatality rate; NA, not applicable; OR, odds ratio. †Fisher exact test; all other p values determined by Pearson χ2 test. ‡Model included age at onset, sterile-site laboratory confirmation, and all 5 clinical signs. Binary signs did not converge owing to quasi-complete separation caused by the extreme rarity of meningeal signs (n = 8; 3.1%) and are not shown as adjusted OR estimates.