Nigeria first country to introduce meningitis vaccine

Nigeria has recorded history after becoming the first country worldwide to roll out a meningitis vaccine known as the Men5CV vaccine, recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The vaccine has been designed to protect people against five strains of the Meningococcus bacteria that plagued the African Meningitis Belt for decades.

According to WHO, meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges- the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. The disease can be caused by many different pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, or viruses, but the highest global burden is seen with bacterial meningitis.

The organisation says the disease is devastating and remains a major public health challenge. Symptoms often include headaches, fevers, and stiff necks.

“Bacterial meningitis is the most serious, can also result in septicaemia (blood poisoning), and can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours those that contract it,” it noted.

Nigeria severely affected

Nigeria has been ranked as one of the 26 countries in Africa severely affected by meningitis. Last year, there was a 50 per cent rise in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the introduction of the Men5CV vaccine as a potential game-changer in the battle against meningitis.

"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 closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030," he said.

In Nigeria, an alarming outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) serogroup C resulted in 1,742 suspected cases of meningitis, with 101 cases confirmed and a tragic toll of 153 fatalities.

The outbreak impacted seven out of the 36 Nigerian states, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe, and Zamfara, between October 1, 2023, and March 11, 2024.

WHO said the new Men5CV vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria.

Additionally, it 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,” the organisation noted.

WHO added that the development of the Men5CV vaccine spanned an impressive 13-year period and was based on a partnership between PATH and the Serum Institute of India.

Deadly outbreak

Prof Muhammad Ali Pate of the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi and Yobe, were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis.

He affirmed that the new vaccine will provide health workers with a new tool to stop the outbreak and put the country on a path to elimination.

“We’ve done a lot of work preparing health workers and the health system for the rollout of this new vaccine. We got invaluable support from our populations despite this fasting period and from our community leaders, especially the Emir of Gumel in Jigawa State, who personally launched the vaccination campaign in the state. We’ll be monitoring progress closely and hopefully expanding the immunisation in the coming months and years to accelerate progress,” he said.

In July 2023, WHO prequalified the new Men5CV vaccine (which has the brand name MenFive®) and in October 2023, it issued an official recommendation to countries to introduce the new vaccine.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global stockpile as well as vaccine rollout in lower-income countries, took proactive measures by allocating resources for the rollout of the Men5CV vaccine in December 2023.