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Telephone
English: 800-232-2522
Spanish: 800-232-0233
TTY: 800-243-7889

Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. EST

Email
cochlearinfo@cdc.gov

Related Pages

Immunization - CDC's National Immunization Program

Meningitis - CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Risk of Bacterial Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants
July, 2003

Spanish Version

Many people have received cochlear implants to help them hear and communicate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been looking at a possible link between cochlear implants and meningitis. This study is now complete and has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study had two purposes: (1) to find out how many children who had cochlear implants got bacterial meningitis afterwards, and (2) to find out if there are factors that might make it more likely that someone would get meningitis after getting a cochlear implant.

Following are links that provide some basic information about the study results, as well as sources where you can find more about cochlear implants, meningitis, and a link to the New England Journal of Medicine article.

	About the Study - a summary of the results.
	Questions and Answers - frequently asked questions and the answers.
	Resources About Hearing Loss, Cochlear Implants, and Meningitis (pdf)  - an information resource list that has the telephone numbers and websites of organizations that can give you more information about cochlear implants and meningitis.
	New England Journal of Medicine Article

Because CDC is a public health agency, CDC personnel cannot give individual medical advice. If after reading through the information provided in this website you still have questions about cochlear implants or meningitis as they apply to you or to someone you know, you should contact your doctor. A personal doctor can get a complete medical history and prescribe treatment, and is your best source for medical advice.

If you have any other questions about this study you can call CDC’s Immunization Hotline, which will be answering all cochlear implant related questions.

We at CDC realize that this study could not have been done without the help of the parents of children with cochlear implants, state and local health departments, other federal health agencies, and cochlear implant manufacturers. Their cooperation is greatly appreciated.