Nigeria is the first country in the world to introduce the “revolutionary” new vaccine “men5CV” against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.
“The introduction of the vaccine in Nigeria brings us one step closer to the goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Gebreyesus.
The World Health Organization says the new vaccine protects against five major strains of the disease that are prevalent in Nigeria, unlike the previous vaccine which only works against one strain.
Nigeria is one of the hotspots of this deadly disease in Africa.
In the period from October last year to mid-March this year, there were 1,742 suspected cases in that country, with 153 deaths in seven Nigerian provinces, according to data from the UN agency.
A 50 percent increase in annual cases was reported last year in 26 African countries considered hyperendemic for meningitis, according to the WHO.
