Nigeria becomes first country to roll out new meningitis vaccine, WHO
says
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[April 13, 2024]
By Ope Adetayo
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria has become the first country in the world to
roll out the "revolutionary" new Men5CV vaccine against meningitis, the
World Health Organization (WHO) said.
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 2023," 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.
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![](../images/041324PIX/health71.jpg)
The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of
the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021.
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/13/images/ads/current/fcs_funeral_lda_border_04029022.png) The new vaccine is reported to
protect against the five major strains of the disease that are
prevalent in Nigeria, unlike the initial vaccine that works against
only one strain, said the WHO.
(Reporting by Ope Adetayo; Editing by Alex
Richardson)
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