IN a groundbreaking development hailed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a global first, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has rolled out a revolutionary vaccine targeting meningitis, a deadly disease that has long plagued the continent.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lauded the significance of the new Men5CV vaccine, which provides protection against five major strains of meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y, and X) in a single shot. This represents a significant improvement over existing vaccines, which typically only target the A strain prevalent in much of Africa.
‘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,’ stated Tedros on Friday. He emphasised that Nigeria’s swift adoption of the vaccine brings the global community closer to the ambitious goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030.
Nigeria’s proactive response comes in the wake of a disturbing surge in meningitis cases across Africa, with reported incidents rising by 50 percent last year. The country’s strategic deployment of the Men5CV vaccine is part of a concerted effort to curb the disease’s impact within the African Meningitis Belt, which encompasses 26 hyper-endemic nations.
During the recent outbreak from October 1 to March 11, Nigeria experienced a tragic toll, with 153 lives lost to meningitis. The new vaccination campaign, supported by Gavi, the global Vaccine Alliance, aims to inoculate over one million individuals aged one to 29 years, with a specific focus on regions like Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe, which were severely affected by the outbreak.
Professor Muhammad Ali Pate of Nigeria’s Health Ministry underscored the significance of the Men5CV vaccine in combating meningitis. ‘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 affirmed.
Meningitis infection, characterised by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes, poses a severe health risk, with symptoms including headache, fever, and stiff neck. Bacterial meningitis, in particular, can lead to life-threatening complications such as septicaemia (blood poisoning) within a remarkably short timeframe.
The launch of Nigeria’s Men5CV vaccination program represents a pivotal step in the global fight against meningitis, offering hope for the containment and eventual eradication of this devastating disease.