For more than a century, meningococcal meningitis has swept across sub-Saharan Africa, killing thousands and disabling many more in each epidemic wave. But now, there is hope. With the commitment of health officials in key African countries, the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), a groundbreaking partnership between PATH, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Serum Institute of India (SIIL) has succeeded in fostering the development of a safe, affordable, and long-lasting vaccine with the potential to end Group A meningococcal epidemics.
The vaccine, called MenAfriVac®, achieves a number of firsts: it is the first vaccine designed specifically for Africa and the first introduced in Africa before any other continent. Most important, the vaccine makes it possible for families to live without fear that a meningitis epidemic will take their children and destroy lives.
Since December 2010, more than 100 million children and young adults have received MenAfriVac®. Already, the vaccine has had a dramatic impact, with the incidence of meningitis of any kind dropping by 94 percent following the immunization campaign in Chad. PATH, WHO, SIIL, and other partners plan to reach more than 300 million people by 2016.
The development of MenAfriVac® cost less than a tenth of the $500 million usually required to manufacture and bring a new vaccine to market. Thanks to SIIL's acceptance of the technology transfer and the company's commitment to affordability, MenAfriVac® is produced was launched at less than US$0.50 a dose. If introduced in all meningitis belt countries, the vaccine could prevent more than 1 million cases of illness and free up as much as US$300 million over the next ten years—funds that can be applied to other problems of disease and poverty in the region.
The vaccine and immunization campaign were made possible through MVP's partnership model, which brought together public and private entities with expertise in pharmaceutical development, vaccine manufacturing, clinical and laboratory work, and other areas. This innovative model offers hope for the development of more affordable vaccines for the developing world and even more young lives saved.
Africa's meningitis and the "rains of hope"
More than 90 percent of meningitis epidemics in Africa are caused by meningococcal A meningitis, which mainly attacks infants, children, and young adults. Even with timely antibiotics, one in ten infected people die within two days of their first symptoms. One in four survivors is left with disabilities such as hearing loss, mental retardation, or seizures.
The disease spreads during the dry season, confining families to their homes to wait out the epidemic wave. It is not until the first rains come—what the mothers of sub-Saharan Africa call the "rains of hope"—that the epidemics cease and society can return to normal.
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