Men5CV : Meningitis Vaccine
Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria.
- The vaccine is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis.
- Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries in Africa and experienced an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) serogroup C, leading to a significant number of cases and deaths.
- To address the outbreak, a vaccination campaign was undertaken to initially reach more than one million people aged 1-29 years.
- Meningitis is a serious infection that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
- It can be caused by viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens, with bacterial meningitis being the most severe.
- Symptoms include headache, fever, and stiff neck, and the disease can be disabling or fatal if not treated promptly.
