Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, has launched a “revolutionary” vaccine against meningitis, which the World Health Organisation on Friday said was a world first.
“Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives,” said WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030,” he said.
The Men5CV vaccine provides protection against the five primary strains of meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y, and X) with just one injection. According to the WHO, this vaccine offers more comprehensive protection compared to the current vaccine used across much of Africa, which only targets the A strain.
Last year, meningitis cases in Africa saw a 50% increase. Nigeria, which has a population of 220 million, falls within the African Meningitis Belt, a region comprising 26 countries where meningitis is highly endemic.
During an outbreak in Nigeria from October 1 to March 11, 153 people died, WHO reported.
To combat this, Gavi, the global Vaccine Alliance, supported a new vaccination campaign from March 25 to March 28, aiming to initially immunize over one million people aged one to 29 years.
“Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe, were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis,” said Professor Muhammad Ali Pate of Nigeria’s Health Ministry.
“This vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to both stop this outbreak but also put the country on a path to elimination,” he said in the WHO statement.
Meningitis infection leads to inflammation of the membranes, or meninges, that protect the brain and spinal cord.
It has multiple causes, including viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens.
Symptoms often include headaches, fevers, and stiff necks. Bacterial meningitis is the most serious and may result in septicemia or blood poisoning that can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours.