The WHO takes charge of fighting the meningitis epidemic in Africa

At the same time of year, every year, meningitis resurfaces in Africa. Almost 16,000 people have already been infected. The WHO is coordinating a counter-attack in 4 of the countries most affected: Burkina Faso, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.

These countries form a “meningitis belt” that extends from east to west across the continent, from Senegal to Ethiopia. More than 300 million Africans are at risk from the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria that causes the disease. And 1,670 people have already died from it this year.

Hence the urgency of the vaccination campaigns currently being run by the WHO and its partners in the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision for Epidemic Meningitis. Around 1,5 million Africans have already received a dose of the vaccine. But it hasn’t been easy because, as the WHO points out, “the areas affected are known to shelter (…) displaced populations who live in areas that are difficult to access”. But out in the field the WHO continues to transport medication, emergency supplies and technical support to combat and manage sudden epidemics.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges that cover the brain and spinal cord. It is transmitted via droplets of saliva. The most common symptoms are stiffness of the neck, high temperature, sensitivity to light, headaches and vomiting.