💉 New vaccine can stop meningitis in Africa

• A five-in-one vaccine has begun to be used in several African countries to protect against bacterial meningitis.
• The vaccine costs only three dollars per dose and protects against four types of bacteria that cause almost all meningitis epidemics in the region.
• Niger and Nigeria have already begun vaccinating and Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad and Togo plan to introduce the vaccine in the coming months.

Epidemics have killed tens of thousands of people

For at least a century, outbreaks of bacterial meningitis have swept across a belt in Africa stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia. Desert winds, dust storms and fragile health systems make it easier for the bacteria to infect people. This leads to regular epidemics in what is called the meningitis belt.

One in six who are infected die and many survivors suffer complications such as hearing loss, brain damage and amputations. A massive outbreak in 1996 caused an estimated 250,000 cases and 25,000 deaths, mostly in Nigeria. Another major outbreak seven years later caused thousands more deaths.

The outbreaks follow a cyclical pattern that recurs every five to ten years. In 2009, more than 90,000 infections were reported across several countries within a couple of weeks. Between March and June 2024, Nigeria's northeastern Yobe State reported 2,948 cases and 72 deaths.

Five types of bacteria in one vaccine

The new vaccine is called Men5CV and protects against four groups of bacteria: C, Y, W and X. Together with the previously introduced MenAfriVac vaccination from 2010, which protects against group A, the vaccines now cover almost all bacteria types that cause epidemic meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa.

MenAfriVac proved highly effective and practically eliminated the leading cause of meningitis and saved millions of lives.

Men5CV is a conjugate vaccine that helps the immune system recognize and fight bacteria that are normally difficult to detect. Some bacteria have an outer coating of sugar molecules that do not trigger a strong immune response, especially in young children. The vaccine works by attaching a protein to the sugar coating, which gives the immune system the signal it needs to produce strong antibodies and remember the threat for the future.

Millions of people can be protected

The World Health Organization has set the goal of eliminating epidemic meningitis by 2030. The vaccine is temperature stable, which makes it easier to get doses to remote communities where the risk of outbreaks is highest.

Serum Institute of India and the Seattle-based non-profit organization PATH have developed the vaccine over thirteen years. Dr Michael Head at the University of Southampton says the vaccine, with wider rollout, has the potential to protect millions of vulnerable people.

Environmental factors drive the epidemics

The meningitis belt exists due to a combination of environmental factors. Dry weather and the harmattan winds that blow dust from the Sahara over West Africa between November and March damage the fragile lining of the nose and throat. This creates small cuts that allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream and cause infection.

Socioeconomic factors such as poverty, overcrowding and poor nutrition also contribute to the epidemics. Malnourished children are more susceptible to getting meningitis. Smoke from fires or indoor cooking can increase people's risk, and overcrowding is a significant risk factor.

Claire Wright at the Meningitis Research Foundation explains that the bacteria can live in the nose and throat without causing symptoms. But when sand and dust irritate and damage the airways, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause infections that can then be passed on to other people through close contact.

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