Thousands of deaths could be saved every year when the first vaccine produced specifically for Africa is rolled out in Burkina Faso on 6 December.
MenAfriVac will be offered to 12.5 million people aged 1 to 29 in the country to protect against meningitis A, the variation of the Neisseria meningitidis bacterium which predominates in Africa. Programmes will also be initiated in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
The vaccine will eventually be extended to 450 million people in 25 countries across the continent's infamous "meningitis belt", stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, potentially preventing 50,000 cases per year and 5000 deaths.
MenAfriVac will be offered to 12.5 million people aged 1 to 29 in the country to protect against meningitis A, the variation of the Neisseria meningitidis bacterium which predominates in Africa. Programmes will also be initiated in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
The vaccine will eventually be extended to 450 million people in 25 countries across the continent's infamous "meningitis belt", stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, potentially preventing 50,000 cases per year and 5000 deaths.
