Medical News
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the spinal cord and the brain and it killed an estimated 250,000 people in 2019
New meningitis vaccine touted as game-changing
It may play a key role in significantly reducing the cases of bacterial meningitis
Anovel vaccine against meningitis has proved to be effective and safe in a clinical trial that may represent a major step forward in the prevention of the deadly disease .
Produced by the Serum Institute of India and global health organization Path , the NmCV-5 vaccine has offered protection against the four main meningitis strains , which can be already prevented by the WHOapproved vaccine MenACWY-D , and the emerging � strain that can spread fast and for which there ’ s currently no vaccination available .
The trial was conducted on 1,800 people in the African nations of Mali and Gambia and its results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine .
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the spinal cord and the brain and it killed an estimated 250,000 people in 2019 , according to the World Health Organization . Several pathogens can cause it including bacteria , viruses , fungi , and parasites , but bacterial meningitis is particularly dangerous , with one in six people with this type of the disease dying and one in five having severe complications . Globally , bacteria are responsible for more than half of the deaths from meningitis . Epidemics of the disease are recorded across the globe but Africa is a hot spot where most deaths are recorded , especially in the so-called meningitis belt , stretching from Gambia and Senegal to Ethiopia .
�The vaccine will provide protection against the types of meningitis bacteria that cause most of the devastating epidemics in the African meningitis belt , � Ed Clarke , a co-author of the study , told Al Jazeera .
Study co-author Ama Umesi added� �Epidemic preparedness is the way forward in providing available , affordable and accessible vaccines relevant to regions prone to meningitis outbreaks . Having meningitis vaccines should be a public health priority to prevent catastrophic outcomes during an outbreak and would be a game changer in the fight against meningitis . �
In 2020 , the WHO has launched the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map to make a dent in the number of meningitis cases . The initiative aims to eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics , reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50 percent and deaths by 70 percent while reducing disability and improving quality of life after meningitis . Since there are many causes of meningitis , the disease cannot be eradicated but the road map aims to get as close as possible to elimination .
The road map will strengthen and combine with wider initiatives like those to improve health systems , increase immunization coverage , and fight antimicrobial resistance .
�Global action to implement this road map and achieve the ambitious goals to defeat meningitis is needed now . Strong commitments from countries , partners and donors will be essential to success , � according to the report Defeating meningitis by 2030 : a global road map .
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