Did social distancing measures deployed for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 control have an impact on invasive meningococcal disease?

We investigated the impact of social distancing measures, used to contain or mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread, on the transmission of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Italy. To this end, the temporal correlation between the implementation of lockdown measures in 2020 and IMD incidence was evaluated. A dramatic decline of IMD incidence was observed, suggesting that the measures applied to contain SARS-CoV-2 in Italy affected other infectious diseases transmitted through direct contact and droplets, at least in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.