Meningitis: Nigeria receives vaccines to tackle fatal outbreak

Nigeria has received over one million doses of the pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Men5CV) to combat the meningococcus C and W outbreak in northern Nigeria.

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The vaccine doses, funded by Gavi, were received by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, according to a joint press statement on Friday by the Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the country has recorded 807 suspected cases of cerebrospinal meningitis. PREMIUM TIMES reports that the suspected cases have resulted in 74 deaths from 22 states, with a case fatality rate of 9.2 per cent.

The Friday statement noted that the vaccine doses are part of an emergency response campaign targeting individuals aged one to 29 years, the most affected group.

The campaign will initially roll out in Kebbi and Sokoto states, with plans to expand to Yobe as additional doses arrive.

Nigeria’s response

Speaking on the significance of the vaccine arrival, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said it is a crucial milestone in Nigeria’s response to the current meningitis outbreak.

Mr Pate noted that it reflects commitments to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to protect the health and well-being of all Nigerians, especially children and young people.

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“Through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, we have prioritised epidemic preparedness and rapid response as part of our broader health security agenda,” he said.

“We are grateful for the support of Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF in enabling this swift deployment. Together, we are not only containing today’s outbreak but also laying the foundation to eliminate meningitis and strengthen routine immunisation for the future,” he said.

Gavi funding

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, funds the global stockpiles of vaccines against diseases like cholera, ebola, meningitis, and yellow fever. The vaccines are accessible to all countries.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the US government’s actions to defund Gavi may affect countries like Nigeria in areas like the provision of vaccines.

Gavi also supports countries in the cost of procurement, delivery, and outbreak response campaigns in lower-income countries, as well as preventive and routine immunisation activities.

The use of the stockpiles for outbreak response is managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, and doses are delivered to countries by UNICEF.

The ICG has approved the deployment of over 1.5 million doses of Men5CV in response to Nigeria’s request in March.

In his comments, Gavi’s Head of High-Impact Outbreaks, Francisco Luquero, noted that with Gavi’s support, vaccines successfully eliminated meningitis A from Africa’s meningitis belt.

Mr Luquero added that the vaccines are also combating other serogroups of this deadly and debilitating disease, “bringing us closer to our goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030.”

“Continued investment in this work is critical to protect the incredible progress made so far, control future outbreaks, and dramatically reduce the devastating impact that seasonal epidemics of meningitis have on families and communities.”

“As of the end of 2024, the global meningococcal vaccine stockpile had been accessed 68 times by 16 countries since 2009, with over 34 million doses deployed in support of countries,” the statement concluded.

About Meningitis

Meningitis, a serious infection of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), remains a significant public health challenge. While it can be caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses, bacterial meningitis has the highest global burden.

READ ALSO: $500 million spent on polio eradication in Nigeria- Pate

The disease, particularly meningococcal meningitis, is prone to outbreaks and large-scale epidemics, especially in sub-Saharan Africa’s “meningitis belt,” stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

The WHO stated that one in four meningitis survivors suffer permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, seizures, limb weakness, and vision or speech impairments.

Seasonal outbreaks typically occur during the dry season, from December to June, peaking between March and April when low humidity and high dust levels prevail.

Over the years, Gavi has worked with countries to support vaccination against meningitis A, reaching over 400 million children and young adults aged up to 29 years through campaigns and routine immunisation. These efforts have helped Africa eliminate meningitis A, with no new case detected since 2017.