The UN World Health Organisation (WHO) has started a mass vaccination campaign in Niger’s Niamey region in response to an ongoing meningitis outbreak.
The UN health agency, in a statement, said the vaccination campaign against meningitis outbreak began on Thursday.
“More than 2,000 cases were recorded in one week last month and 123 people have died,” the WHO said.
Niger is one of 26 African countries where the disease is endemic and persistently poses a high risk in the so-called African meningitis belt.
The recent surge in cases represents a 50 per cent increase from last year, with a mortality rate exceeding six per cent.
The focus of the epicentre is Niamey region, with an infection rate of more than 52 cases per 100,000 people.
Other regions such as Agadez, Zinder and Dosso also require urgent intervention to confront high infection rates, the UN health agency said.
To help protect at-risk communities, the WHO is joining forces with several technical and financial partners to respond to the epidemic with a new vaccine.
Unlike previous jabs, the new meningitis vaccine is single-dose and it protects against five strains of the infection.
According to the WHO, Meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
The WHO said that it is a devastating disease and remains a major public health challenge. The disease can be caused by many different pathogens including bacteria, fungi or viruses, but the highest global burden is seen with bacterial meningitis.
“Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidisare the most frequent ones. N. meningitidis, causing meningococcal meningitis, is the one with the potential to produce large epidemics. There are 12 serogroups of N. meningitidis that have been identified, 6 of which (A, B, C, W, X and Y) can cause epidemics.
“Meningococcal meningitis can affect anyone of any age, but mainly affects babies, preschool children and young people. The disease can occur in a range of situations from sporadic cases, small clusters to large epidemics throughout the world, with seasonal variations. Geographic distribution and epidemic potential differ according to serogroup. The largest burden of meningococcal meningitis occurs in the meningitis belt, an area of sub-Saharan Africa, which stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.
“N. meningitidis can cause a variety of diseases. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) refers to the range of invasive diseases caused by N. meningitidis, including septicemia, arthritis and meningitis. Similarly, S. pneumoniae causes other invasive diseases including otitis and pneumonia”
NAN
