WHO launching $1.5 billion campaign against meningitis in Africa

In order to eradicate bacterial meningitis outbreaks throughout Africa by 2030, the World Health Organization said on Thursday that it is initiating a USD 1.5 billion campaign that ideally would include a new vaccine.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 50 million children in Africa’s immunisation programmes have been postponed, raising concerns about the potential return of the fatal disease.

In a race against time, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said that the meningitis vaccine of the future will be introduced in the 26 African nations where the illness is most prevalent.

By the first quarter of 2023, the vaccine is anticipated to be approved by WHO, allowing donors to purchase it for Africa. According to Moeti, scientific testing has proven that the vaccination is both safe and effective against several types of meningitis.

The vaccine may be introduced as early as next year and given in large-scale campaigns until 2030 when the WHO intends to have put an end to bacterial meningitis occurrences in the continent.

According to the WHO, the strategy might save more than 140,000 lives annually, but that depends on the vaccine’s accessibility and the capacity of health professionals to deliver it.

Due to a strong vaccination campaign, there have been no new instances of meningitis A on the continent in the last five years; nevertheless, Moeti noted that the COVID -19 pandemic and related limitations have put hundreds of millions of Africans in danger.