Meningitis: New 5-in-1-Vaccine
Nigeria has introduced a new vaccine designed to combat five strains of meningococcus bacteria. Read more about this historic milestone.
Anke Aufmuth | DocCheck Team
Nigeria has recently made history by introducing Men5CV, a new vaccine recommended by WHO and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Designed to combat five strains of meningococcus bacteria, it comes at a critical time as Nigeria, situated in Africa’s Meningitis Belt, has seen a significant increase in meningitis cases. Last year, there was a 50 % jump in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.
An outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C in Nigeria resulted in numerous suspected cases and fatalities across several states. Meningitis, characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes, poses a grave health risk. Symptoms often include headache, fever and a stiff neck. Bacterial meningitis is the most serious, can also result in septicaemia, and can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours those that contract it.
New Vaccine Can Change The Trajectory Of The Disease
Men5CV represents a breakthrough in disease prevention, offering broad protection against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria (A, C, W, Y and X) in a single dose. “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 Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030.”
A vaccination campaign targeting over one million individuals aged 1–29 has been initiated in response to Nigeria’s meningitis outbreak, with plans to expand immunization efforts in the coming years. The global roadmap to defeating meningitis by 2030 outlines ambitious goals, including the elimination of bacterial meningitis epidemics and a substantial reduction in vaccine-preventable cases and deaths.
Image source: Ave Calvar, Unsplash
