Nigeria becomes world’s first to introduce 5-in-1 vaccine against meningitis
Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out the 5-in-1 vaccine against meningitis, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization in a statement on April 12 said the vaccine will protect people against the five strains of the meningococcus bacteria.
According to WHO, Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa situated within the African Meningitis Belt, where the menace of meningitis has inflicted devastating tolls year after year.
WHO explained that Meningitis is a serious infection that leads to the inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and poses a grave threat to public health, with bacterial strains capable of causing rapid deterioration and even death within a mere 24 hours.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, who lauded Nigeria's proactive stance, said on social media platform X, “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks, saving many lives, and bringing us closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030.”
The new vaccine protects against the five primary strains of meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y, and X) with just a single shot and has the potential to significantly reduce meningitis cases.
“Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis, and this vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to both stop this outbreak but also put the country on a path to elimination,” Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate of the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was quoted by WHO.
The meningitis vaccine received funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which supports the global meningitis vaccine stockpile and facilitates routine vaccination against meningitis in lower-income countries.
