SummaryEpidemiological data were collected for 219 cases of neonatal septicaemia and/or meningitis. In two thirds of the cases the diagnosis was made in newborns aged 4 days or less. Risk factors related to the delivery, to the health status of the infant at birth and to pregnancy were mentioned respectively in 74, 63 and 36 % of the cases. Half of the newborns given antibiotics in prophylaxis received an association of aminopenicillin and aminoside. In more than four fifths of the cases the bacterium was only isolated from blood. In newborns aged 4 days or less at the lime of diagnosis,S. agalactiaewas the most frequently isolated agent (50%). In newborns aged 5 days or more at the time of diagnosis,E. coliwas the most frequent isolate (23%), followed byS. agalactiaeand coagulasc-negativeStaphylococcus(20%). The lethality was 18%. About three fourths of the children dying from the infection, died during the first week of life. For the children who did not die during their stay in hospital, the duration of hospitalization was longer than 4 weeks in 41%.