Nigeria has received its first shipment of MenFive Meningitis Vaccine courtesy of Gavi the Vaccine Alliance.
The Vaccine was delivered to the country by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) according to a press statement from Gavi on Thursday making Nigeria the first country to get the new MenFive Vaccine.
The MenFive vaccine, developed through a 13-year collaboration between PATH and Serum Institute of India, offers protection against the five main serogroups of meningococcal meningitis affecting Africa.
Meningitis, a disease transmitted through respiratory and throat secretions, poses a severe health risk, causing various complications such as hearing loss, brain damage, seizures, limb loss, and even death. Particularly prevalent in the African meningitis belt, which spans 26 countries from Senegal to Ethiopia, meningitis follows a seasonal pattern, with the dry season exacerbating its spread.
According to Gavi’s statement, the vaccine doses will be used to respond to an ongoing meningococcus C outbreak in Jigawa state with a target to vaccinate one million children in six local government areas in the state – Babura, Birniwa, Gagarawa, Gumel, Maigatari, and Sule Tankarkar.
Director of High Impact Countries at Gavi, Dr. Tokunbo Oshin emphasized the significance of this innovation.
“With outbreaks of infectious diseases on the rise worldwide, new innovations such as MenFive are critical in helping us fight back.
Thanks to vaccines, we have eliminated large and disruptive outbreaks of meningitis A in Africa: now we have a tool to respond to other meningococcal meningitis serogroups that still cause large outbreaks resulting in long-term disability and deaths.”
Dr. Oshin reiterated Gavi’s commitment to collaborating with the Nigerian government, UNICEF, and WHO to effectively respond to outbreaks and ensure widespread vaccine coverage.
