Gavi-supported campaigns have reached over 268 million people
More than 600,000 immunised through routine immunisation programmes
No new cases of meningitis A reported in vaccinated countries
School children holding immunisation cards in Nigeria. It is one of 19 countries that have launched meningitis A campaigns with support from Gavi.
Credit: Gavi/2011/Ed Harris.
EPIDEMICS REACH LOWEST-EVER RECORDED LEVELS
Gavi-supported meningitis A vaccine campaigns have reached more than 268 million children and young adults in 19 countries in the “meningitis belt”, which stretches across 26 countries in Africa. Those supported so far are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, the Sudan and Togo.
On average, the campaigns have reached more than 85% of those at risk of contracting the disease. The impact has been dramatic: the number of recorded epidemics in the meningitis belt have dropped to their lowest-ever level.
After 1.8 million people received one dose of the vaccine in three regions of Chad, meningitis rates fell by 94%. Also, there were no new cases in children aged less than 1 year or in adults older than 29 years. This highlights the positive impact even among those not vaccinated.
In 2016, Gavi started supporting routine vaccination of children aged 9–18 months. By December 2016, two countries – Ghana and the Sudan – had introduced the vaccine into their routine programmes. Gavi also funds catch-up campaigns to cover children who are born after a mass campaign has taken place.
While Gavi-supported campaigns and routine introductions have significantly decreased meningitis A outbreaks in vaccinated countries, other meningococcal strains (including A, C, W, and Y) continue to cause epidemics across the meningitis belt.
Gavi contributes to a meningitis emergency stockpile to fund vaccines to respond to these outbreaks. In 2016, Togo received more than 500,000 Gavi-funded vaccine doses from the stockpile to combat an outbreak of meningococcal W disease.
Controlled temperature chain increases reach of meningitis A vaccine
The MenAfriVac vaccine, which was developed to meet the specific needs of the meningitis belt, can be kept at temperatures of up to 40°C for a maximum of four days as part of a controlled temperature chain (CTC). This can help improve coverage and save money otherwise spent on maintaining the challenging cold chain until the last mile.
Our funding has so far helped five countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo – use CTC in their meningitis A campaigns.
By removing the need for ice packs to keep vaccines between 2°C and 8°C, CTC has had a dramatic impact on the ease and efficiency of vaccine delivery. Most of the districts that used this approach achieved very high coverage.
The CTC approach could have major economic benefits. According to a WHO study1, administering the MenAfriVac vaccine without having to keep it cold could reduce costs by 50%.