WHO Releases Latest Health News on ET HealthWorld

In a groundbreaking move, Nigeria has introduced a revolutionary vaccine against meningitis, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised this development, stating that the new vaccine has the potential to change the trajectory of the disease and save many lives. The Men5CV vaccine offers protection against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y, and X) in a single shot, a significant improvement over the current vaccine used in much of Africa, which is only effective against the A strain.

Last year, Africa witnessed a 50 percent increase in meningitis cases, with Nigeria being one of the continent’s 26 hyper-endemic countries in the African Meningitis Belt. During an outbreak between October 1 and March 11, 153 people lost their lives to meningitis in Nigeria. To combat this deadly disease, Gavi, the global Vaccine Alliance, funded a campaign to vaccinate over one million people aged between one and 29 years in Northern Nigeria, particularly in Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe states.

Professor Muhammad Ali Pate of Nigeria’s Health Ministry highlighted the importance of the new vaccine in stopping the deadly outbreak and moving towards the elimination of meningitis in the country. Meningitis, an infection that causes inflammation of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord, can have severe consequences if left untreated. Symptoms include headaches, fever, and a stiff neck, with bacterial meningitis posing the highest risk of disability or death within a mere 24 hours.

This new development marks a significant step towards eradicating meningitis by 2030, as outlined by the WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. With the introduction of the Men5CV vaccine, Nigeria and its population of 220 million are aiming to tackle this longstanding public health challenge head-on, potentially saving countless lives in the process.