Nigeria launches new meningitis vaccine in first-of-its-kind campaign, WHO says

Nigeria has become the first country in the world to introduce the “revolutionary” new Men5CV vaccine against meningitis, Reuters cited the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday.

Nigeria is one of the hotspots of the deadly disease in Africa. Last year, a 50% rise in annual cases was reported across 26 African countries regarded as meningitis hyperendemic countries, according to the WHO.

“Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, was quoted as saying in a statement.

Between last October and mid-March this year, 1,742 cases were suspected in the country, with 153 deaths recorded in seven states in Nigeria, data from the WHO shows.