The African Region is at increased risk of outbreaks of type A meningitis, a disease virtually eliminated on the continent, warns the WHO Office in Africa, in a press release published on its website on Thursday.
This situation would be favored, according to the UN body, by the delay recorded in the vaccination campaigns against meningitis which targeted more than 50 million children in Africa, and caused by the coronavirus.
In the race against time against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have set out a roadmap to end outbreaks of bacterial meningitis by 2030, urging countries to implement this roadmap quickly before the start of the meningitis season in January 2023, explains WHO-Africa.
But, she continues, the pandemic has severely disrupted meningitis prevention and control services, with a sharp drop in disease surveillance, laboratory confirmation of cases and outbreak investigations.
Based on country reports, WHO found that meningitis control activities decreased by 50% in 2020 compared to 2019, with a slight improvement in 2021. Some countries such as Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Togo have reportedly delayed their MenAfriVac vaccine campaigns, which aim to protect a total of 50 million children under 12 from type A meningitis.
In 2010, Africa began to defeat type A meningitis, which was the most important cause of meningitis epidemics in the continent, when an effective vaccine, MenAfriVac, was developed and deployed, recalls the WHO. Thanks to its support and that of its partners, more than 350 million people in 24 high-risk African countries have received the MenAfriVac vaccine since 2010.
The UN body says that efforts to eliminate this type of meningitis have had considerable success. While 50% of people with meningitis died from the disease in 2004, a total of 95% of cases survived in 2021.
« The victory over type A meningitis is one of Africa’s greatest health achievements, but the consequences of Covid-19 are hampering our efforts to eradicate this bacterial infection as a public health threat and could lead to catastrophic resurgences,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
And to challenge, “by giving priority to the response to COVID-19, we must not lose sight of other health problems. I urge countries to accelerate the implementation of the new WHO regional roadmap now, before the start of the meningitis season in January 2023.”
Although no cases of type A meningitis have been reported in Africa in the past five years, outbreaks continue to occur and are caused by other types of meningococcal bacteria, the statement continued.
The UN body explains that with the ambitious goal of defeating bacterial meningitis in the African Region by 2030, the new regional strategy launched today provides countries with a roadmap to strengthen diagnosis, surveillance, treatment, advocacy and vaccination to eliminate disease outbreaks and reduce deaths by 70% and infections by 50%.
It estimates that $1.5 billion will be needed by 2030 to implement this plan which, if countries adopt it, will save more than 140,000 lives a year in the Region and significantly reduce disabilities.
By OMA Newsletter N° 848 of 08/09/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
