Table 1: Median times of onset of clinical features of meningococcal disease prior to hospital admission.
Hours from onset Age < 1 year Age 1 - 4 years Age 5 - 14 years Age 15 - 16 years
Median (IQR)* Median (IQR) Median (IQR) Median (IQR)
 0 - 4 Fever
Miserable/irritable
Poor feeding
Nausea/vomiting
Coryza
Drowsy
 0 (0, 6)
0 (0, 7)
1 (0, 9)
1 (0, 11)
2 (0, 13)
4 (0, 14)
 Fever

Miserable/irritable
Nausea/vomiting
Decreased appetite
Drowsy

  0 (0, 3)

2 (0, 10)
3 (0, 11)
3 (0, 13)
4 (0, 11)

  Headache

Nausea/vomiting Fever

  0 (0, 12)

2 (0, 12)
3 (0, 13)

  Headache
Sore throat/coryza

Thirst

  0 (0, 2)
0 (0, 9)

4 (1, 39)
5 - 8 Diarrhoea
Abnormal colour
Breathing difficulty
Leg pain
Floppy tone
Rash
 5 (0, 9)
5 (0, 18)
5 (0, 19)
7 (0, 15)
8 (1, 19)
8 (4, 18)
 Leg pain

Headache
Sore throat/coryza
Breathing difficulty

  6 (0, 13)

6 (1, 17)
7 (1, 19)
7 (1, 17)

  Abnormal colour
Decreased appetite
Thirst
Sore throat/coryza
Leg pain
General aches
  5 (0, 29)
6 (1, 17)
6 (2, 16)
7 (0, 16)
7 (0, 15)
7 (1, 18)
  General aches
Fever
  6 (0, 20)
6 (1, 16)
9-12 Cold extremities
General aches
  9 (1, 20)
9 (4, 22)

 Abnormal colour General aches
Rash
General aches
Seizure
Diarrhoea

 9 (3, 18)
9 (4, 18)
9 (6, 18)
9 (4, 18)
9 (1, 18)
10 (6, 14)



  Drowsy




Miserable/irritable
Confusion/delirium

  9 (1, 21)




12 (2, 22)
12 (8, 24)

  Decreased appetite


Nausea/vomiting


Leg pain Miserable/irritable

  9 (3, 21)


10 (3, 19)




12 (5, 23)
12 (3, 25)
Cold extremities Confusion/delirium
Neck stiffness Photophobia		 11 (2, 17)
11 (5, 17)
11 (8, 17)
12 (6, 27)
 13-16 Photophobia
Unconscious
Bulging fontanelle
Neck stiffness
Seizure
  13 (5, 17)
15 (6, 17)
15 (3, 20)
15 (2, 27)
16 (14, 31)
  Floppy 13 (8, 20)  Cold extremities
Rash
Neck stiffness
  13 (7, 26)
14 (8, 21)
15 (6, 25)
  Drowsy
Breathing difficulty
Diarrhoea
Neck stiffness
Cold extremities
  14 (6, 27)
15 (13, 17)
16 (8, 26)
16 (6, 30)
16 (6, 32)
17-20 Thirst 17 (7, 27)      Photophobia  17 (5, 39)  Photophobia
Abnormal colour
Rash
  17 (5, 29)
18 (4, 29)
19 (11, 26)
21-24     Unconscious 23 (17-42)  Diarrhoea

Seizure

  22 (20, 25)

24 (9, 79)

  Confusion/delirium
Unconscious
  23 (13, 30)
24 (19, 41)
>24          Breathing difficulty
Unconscious
  34 (10, 57)
34 (11, 52)
  Seizure  26 (25, 27)
Notes: * IQR = inter-quartile range.


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