Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine- Men5CV, to protect people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria. The new vaccine was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is said to have the potential to change the trajectory of meningitis disease and prevent future outbreaks.
The revolutionary new vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y and X) in a single shot. All five strains cause meningitis and blood poisoning. This provides broader protection than the current vaccine used in much of Africa, which is only effective against the A strain.
TheMediaGood Newspaper can report, according to a release on WHO’s website last Friday, that the vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis.
‘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,’ said Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare
Hailing this bold step by Nigeria, the Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that ‘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. Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step close to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030’
Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO)
Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa, situated in the area known as the African Meningitis Belt. Last year, there was a 50% jump in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.