To fight against the scourge of meningitis A in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) has just authorized the use of the MenAfriVac vaccine in infants under one year of age.
Meningococcal meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges that affects the lining of the brain and is fatal in 50% of cases if left untreated. The highest prevalence rates of this disease are recorded in the belt stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. In 1996 and 1997, a meningitis epidemic affected 250,000 people and killed 25,000 of them in a few months in this area.
the MenAfriVac vaccine, already used in children and adults aged 1 to 29, has been shown to be very effective in previous vaccination campaigns. Its cost, less than 50 cents per dose, is low enough to allow its large-scale introduction in the countries concerned, explains the WHO.
“Epidemics will resurface when an increasing number of unprotected newborns represent, over time, a higher proportion of the total population. Now, with this decision, senior health officials will be able to ensure that the protection of the whole population is maintained by the routine vaccination of infants “, welcomes Dr. Marie-Pierre Préziosi, director of the Meningitis Vaccines Project (in partnership with WHO).
