Exposure to tobacco may be responsible for hundreds of cases of severe meningitis affecting children in the UK every year, researchers report today.
A woman smoking during pregnancy is linked to a three times increased risk of her child succumbing to the disease, researchers say.
And exposure to other people’s tobacco smoke doubles the risk, according to the Nottingham University researchers.
Researcher Dr Rachael Murray said second hand smoke was responsible for some 630 cases of meningococcal disease in the UK every year, according to the analysis.
The researchers examined the findings of some 18 previous pieces of research to reach their conclusions.
Dr Murray said: "While we cannot be sure exactly how tobacco smoke is affecting these children, the findings from this study highlight consistent evidence of the further harms of smoking around children and during pregnancy.
"Thus parents and family members should be encouraged to not smoke in the home or around children."
Second hand smoke exposure and the risk of invasive meningococcal disease in children: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health December 10 2012
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