By Laura Anderson | Writer and Editor
Outbreaks of deadly and debilitating meningococcal A meningitis once stopped many African communities in their tracks. Now, however, more than 103 million people carry a new hope—protection gained from the MenAfriVac® vaccine. Immunity with just one dose is expected to be long lasting, and as of this update, there has not been a single reported case in a person who has been vaccinated.
With help from you and other partners, the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP)—a collaboration between PATH and the World Health Organization—is reaching more people each year. Mass immunization campaigns will introduce MenAfriVac® in Ethiopia and The Gambia in 2013. These efforts—combined with the ongoing rollout of the vaccine in Nigeria and Sudan—could protect 50 million more people in the current age group (1 to 29 years) by the end of the year.
At the same time, we’re thinking even bigger (and smaller): What if infants received this lifesaving protection as part of routine immunizations? Primary results from infant clinical trials are very promising, and we hope to introduce the MenAfriVac® vaccine in routine immunization programs in a couple of years’ time.
Your support is helping MVP bring lifesaving MenAfriVac® to more communities and building a foundation to sustain this crucial protection for years to come. Thank you!
MenAfriVac®, a registered trademark of Serum Institute of India Ltd., was developed by PATH and the World Health Organization, working with two dozen global collaborators.
Photo: PATH/Gabe Bienczycki.
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