GAVI commits $100 million to fight meningitis A

The GAVI Alliance has committed $100 million to help tackle meningitis A in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, part of a strategy to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa with a new life-saving vaccine, MenAfriVac. Hit frequently by epidemics, Africa’s “meningitis belt” consists of 25 countries stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. A 1996/97 epidemic hit 250,000 people, of whom 25,000 died and 50,000 were left with varying forms of disability.

Developed at around $0.50 per dose, the new single-dose vaccine, MenAfriVac, specifically addresses group meningococcal meningitis, responsible for over 85% of observed meningococcal meningitis in Africa.

Important vaccine