Health ministers from countries of the African meningitis belt today committed themselves to introduce a highly promising candidate meningitis vaccine. The vaccine is designed to prevent periodic epidemics of the deadly disease in these countries.
Meeting at the 58th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, held in Yaoundé from 1 to 5 September, the ministers adopted the Yaoundé Declaration, committing themselves to several actions. They agreed to prepare comprehensive meningitis control plans, including the introduction of the new vaccine once available; to implement meningitis control strategies; to undertake joint action vis-à-vis the threat; to improve information exchange for epidemic response; and to contribute financially to epidemic control activities.
"Several hundred million people are at risk of meningitis in 25 African countries. Many generations have suffered," said Professor Avocksouma Djona, Minister of Public Health, Chad. "On behalf of all affected countries in Africa, today we are collectively committing ourselves to put an end to devastating outbreaks of this disease. We will ensure that this effective new vaccine is made available to populations throughout the Meningitis belt," he said.
Affordable for Africa
"The new vaccine is the result of a deliberate effort to get ahead of these epidemics, at a price affordable in Africa. With this vaccine, countries can move away from a reactive response to emergencies towards elimination of the epidemic threat," said WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan. She added that WHO will provide technical support for introduction of the vaccine.
The candidate vaccine has several advantages. Priced at just US$ 0.40 per dose, the vaccine produces in both adults and toddlers a higher immune response than the currently available vaccines. In addition, the new vaccine confers long-term protection and induces immunity in certain non-vaccinated persons who live in proximity of those who are immunized, leading to broad community protection.
The meningitis prevention and control strategy that these countries will implement entails introducing the new meningococcal A conjugate vaccine to immunize - between 2009 and 2015 - a population of approximately 250 million people aged 1 to 29 years and 23 million infants living in 25 African countries. It also requires ensuring that adequate quantities of the currently available meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines are available for epidemic response. The latter initiative is important for two reasons: first, to ensure a smooth transition from current epidemic response strategies to a preventive approach and, second, to respond to the threat of non-group A meningococcus meningitis outbreaks (group C or W135).
The meningitis prevention and control strategy was reviewed and endorsed by WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization in April 2008 and by the GAVI Alliance Board in June 2008.
'Money well spent'
"Vaccination with the new meningitis vaccine is money well spent. Our initial investment of US$ 55 million towards a meningitis stockpile will greatly help stave off additional outbreaks of this disease," said Dr Julian Lob-Leyvt, Executive Secretary of the GAVI Alliance. The GAVI Alliance is a public-private partnership of major stakeholders in immunization including WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, developing country and donor governments, research and technical agencies in the vaccine industry, civil society and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The new product, conjugate meningococcal A vaccine ("MenAfriVac"), was developed through the Meningitis Vaccine Project, a product development partnership between WHO and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), a non-governmental organization. The project was set up in 2001 with core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"A single case of meningitis can drive a family into a spiral of poverty from which they may never recover. By committing to introducing MenAfriVac in meningitis belt countries, African governments will play a pivotal role in eliminating epidemics that have plagued the continent for more than a century, and they will help reduce poverty," said Dr F. Marc LaForce, Director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project.