Meningitis vaccine showing success in West Africa

The New York Times reports on the success of a new meningococcal vaccine in West Africa, where very few cases of the disease have been detected in countries that use MenAfriVac, which costs 50 cents per dose. The results of the vaccine's use were reported last week in Health Affairs by the Meningitis Vaccine Project, a partnership of WHO and PATH. "If money is found to roll out the vaccine in [Africa's 'meningitis belt'], some experts believe that it could save 150,000 lives by 2015," according to the newspaper (McNeil, 6/13).