Nigeria Becomes First Country To Introduce New Meningitis Vaccination — WHO

The WHO reports that Nigeria is the first nation to introduce a new meningitis vaccination.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria is the first nation in the world to introduce the Men5CV meningitis vaccination.

Utilizing the same technology as the MenAfriVac® meningitis A conjugate vaccine, which eradicated meningococcal A outbreaks in Nigeria, is the new vaccine.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provides funding for both the vaccine and emergency immunization efforts. It also maintains the world's meningitis vaccine stockpile and assists lower-income nations with regular meningitis vaccination programs.

“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.”

Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate of the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was quoted by Channels Tv as saying, “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.”