Chijioke Iremeka
The new five-in-one vaccine against meningitis introduced in Nigeria has been lauded in several quarters as a significant milestone that will make the country achieve its goal of eliminating meningitis before the target year, 2030.
While celebrating the feat, stakeholders in the health sector said Nigeria and the rest of the world can collectively win the war against the viral deadly disease.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise about the meningitis vaccine, a Public Health Physician and Medical Director, Federal College of Education, Akoka Medical Centre, Lagos, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, said the breakthrough five-in-one new vaccine will significantly reduce meningitis cases and advance progress in defeating meningitis.
He said, “This is called Pentavalent. One will pay less for the five as it is coming as a single vaccine. The child will only have a single shot, not five needle pricks. The pain is less, the cry is less and parents don’t need to visit the hospital five times but only once.
“The new vaccine offers protection against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria A, C, W, Y and X. All five strains cause meningitis and blood poisoning.
“This provides broader protection than the current vaccine used in Nigeria, which is only effective against the A strain. In Nigeria, we have multiple serogroups. This combined vaccine will help to prevent all groups of Meningitis. It is a win-win situation.”
PUNCH Healthwise reports that while celebrating the breakthrough vaccine, the World Health Organisation reiterated that the introduction of the first-ever five-in-one vaccine against meningitis in Nigeria brings the world one step closer to achieving the 2030 goal of eliminating meningitis.
The WHO also stated that the revolutionary new vaccine offers a shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria A, C, W, Y and X, which all cause meningitis and blood poisoning.
In a statement made available to PUNCH Healthwise on April 12, 2024, the WHO noted that the vaccine provides broader protection than the current vaccine used in much of Africa, which is only effective against the A strain,
The Director-General, WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but the new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives.”
He noted that Nigeria’s rollout of the vaccine “brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030.”
The WHO DG further stated that the new vaccine “has the potential to significantly reduce meningitis cases and advance progress in defeating meningitis.”
According to the WHO, this milestone is significant for countries like Nigeria, where multiple serogroups are prevalent as the new vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine, which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria.
“Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi and Yobe were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis, and this vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to both stop this outbreak but also put the country on a path to elimination,” said the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.
“We have done a lot of work preparing health workers and the health system for the rollout of this new vaccine. We got invaluable support from our populations despite this fasting period and from our community leaders especially the Emir of Gumel in Jigawa State, who personally launched the vaccination campaign in the state.
“We will be monitoring the progress closely and hopefully expanding the immunisation in the coming months and years to accelerate progress,” he added.
Also speaking, the United Kingdom Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, said, “The rollout of one million vaccines in northern Nigeria will help save lives, prevent long-term illness and boost our goal of defeating meningitis globally by 2030.
“This is exactly the kind of scientific innovation, supported by the UK, which I hope is replicated in years to come to help us drive further breakthroughs, including wiping out other diseases.”
The Chief of Africa Region, PATH, formerly known as the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, Dr Nanthalile Mugala, said, “Year after year, meningococcal meningitis has tormented countries across Africa. The introduction of this vaccine in Nigeria heralds a transformative era in the fight against meningococcal meningitis in Africa.
“Building on the legacy of previous vaccination efforts, this milestone reflects over a decade of unwavering, innovative partnerships. The promise of this vaccine lies not just in its immediate impact but in the countless lives it stands to protect in the years to come, moving us closer to a future free from the threat of this disease.”
“With outbreaks of infectious diseases on the rise worldwide, new innovations are critical in helping us fight back,” said Aurélia Nguyen, Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global stockpile as well as vaccine rollout in lower-income countries.
“This first shipment signals the start of Gavi support for a multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine programme, which, with the required donor funding for our next five years of work, will see pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines rolled out in high-risk countries.
“Thanks to vaccines, we have eliminated large and disruptive outbreaks of meningitis A in Africa: now we have a tool to respond to other serogroups that still cause large outbreaks resulting in long-term disability and deaths.”
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