hours for 21 days. epidemiology in industrialized countries, the incidence of bacterial meningitis is approximately 3 in 10,000 live births. the incidence of herpes simplex virus meningitis is estimated to be 0.2-5.0 cases per 10,000 live births. neonatal meningitis is much more common in developing countries. neonatal meningitis ranges from 4.8 per 10,000 live births in hong kong to 24 per 10,000 live births in kuwait. in africa and south asia, figures ranging from 8.0 to 61 per 10,000 live births are found. it is expected that these numbers are lower than reality due to the difficulty of diagnosing and the healthcare available to underdeveloped countries in asia and africa.