Kebbi — This week, Nigeria’s Ministry of Smartly being obtained over 1,000,000 pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Men5CV) doses from the Gavi-funded international stockpile to wrestle the meningococcus C and W outbreak in northern Nigeria. The outbreak has already claimed over 70 lives, with bigger than 800 instances all over 23 states.Seasonal outbreaks are traditional during the dry season, which runs from December to June, peaking between March and April when low humidity and high mud ranges prevail. This principal shipment will allow the inaugurate of a plague response marketing campaign targeting individuals mature 1-29 years, the most severely affected community. The marketing campaign will initially inaugurate in Kebbi and Sokoto States, with plans to broaden to Yobe Train as extra doses come in the country.
Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Smartly being & Social Welfare, Federal Republic of Nigeria, said: “The arrival of the Men5CV vaccines is a crucial milestone in Nigeria’s response to the current meningitis outbreak. It reflects our commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to protect the health and well-being of all Nigerians – especially our children and young people who are most vulnerable. Through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Sector-Wide Approach, we have prioritized epidemic preparedness and rapid response as part of our broader health security agenda. We are grateful for the support of Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in enabling this swift deployment. Together, we are not only containing today’s outbreak but also laying the foundation to eliminate meningitis and strengthen routine immunisation for the future.”
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance funds the international stockpiles of vaccines against cholera, Ebola, meningitis and yellow fever, that are accessible to all countries in the enviornment, and helps the worth of procurement, supply and outbreak response campaigns in decrease-income countries, in addition as preventive and routine immunisation actions the put these are linked. Exercise of the stockpiles for outbreak response is managed by the International Coordinating Community (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, and doses are delivered to countries by UNICEF. The ICG has common the deployment of over 1.5 million doses of Men5CV in response to Nigeria’s request in March 2025.
“With Gavi’s support, vaccines successfully eliminated meningitis A from Africa’s meningitis belt. Now, they are also combating other serogroups of this deadly and debilitating disease, bringing us closer to our goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030,” said Francisco Luquero, Gavi’s Head of Excessive-Affect Outbreaks. “Continued investment in this work is critical to protect the incredible progress made so far, control future outbreaks, and dramatically reduce the devastating impact that seasonal epidemics of meningitis have on families and communities.”
Meningococcal meningitis – an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal wire – is most prevalent in Africa’s ‘meningitis belt’, which stretches all over 26 countries in Africa – from Senegal in the West to Ethiopia in the East – with an at-possibility population of about 500 million. These at top doubtless possibility of infection are infants, young folks and young adults. One in four survivors suffers permanent disabilities reminiscent of hearing loss; seizures; limb weak point; difficulties with vision, speech, language, memory and communication; in addition as scarring and limb amputations. Epidemics happen in the dry season (December-June), and a wave can remaining two to three years.
“Every child deserves protection from life-threatening diseases like meningitis, and the arrival of the meningitis vaccine marks a critical step in stopping the current outbreak and safeguarding Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations – particularly children and young adults, who are at the highest risk. UNICEF is proud to support the government by ensuring rapid vaccine deployment, community engagement, and planning and implementation of the response, while working alongside Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, National Primary Health Care Development Agency and Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare to strengthen immunisation efforts in Nigeria,” says Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.
WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said: “As Nigeria continues to combat the current meningitis outbreak, the arrival of the MenCV5 vaccine provides a much-needed boost to our response efforts. From research and development to delivery, the journey of the MenCV5 vaccine to Nigeria has been a collaborative effort between the Nigerian government, the WHO, Gavi, and other dedicated partners. While we address the ongoing outbreak, the MenCV5 vaccine is also critical to Nigeria’s long-term health security. It will help prevent future outbreaks and safeguard future generations; we are committed to supporting Nigeria at every step.”
Over the years, Gavi has worked with countries to toughen vaccination against meningitis A, reaching bigger than 400 million young folks and young adults mature up to 29 years via campaigns and routine immunisation. These efforts beget helped Africa to successfully eliminate meningitis A, with no new instances detected since 2017.
The Men5CV vaccine, common by WHO in 2023, represents a huge advancement for high-possibility countries in Africa’s meningitis belt, offering safety against the 5 necessary serogroups of meningococcus micro organism.
Since 2024, Gavi has supported countries in the meningitis belt in deploying Men5CV for outbreak response, switching to Men5CV for routine immunisation, and for high-possibility countries to habits preventive mass campaigns. The necessary country is common to switch from MenACV to Men5CV at the tip of 2025 – confidently reducing the need for future outbreak response campaigns and moving toward the aim of eliminating the disease by 2030. In March 2024, Nigeria was the important thing country to obtain the Men5CV vaccine from the international stockpile for its outbreak containment efforts, marking a huge milestone in wrestle this disease.
As of the tip of 2024, the international meningococcal vaccine stockpile had been accessed 68 times by 16 countries since 2009, with over 34 million doses deployed in toughen of countries.
About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-non-public partnership that helps vaccinate bigger than half the enviornment’s young folks against among the most enviornment’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Smartly being Organization, UNICEF, the World Financial institution, the vaccine industry, technical businesses, civil society, the Gates Basis and varied non-public sector companions. Search for the total checklist of donor governments and varied leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.
Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a entire know-how – over 1.1 billion young folks – and refrained from bigger than 18.8 million future deaths, helping to halve youngster mortality in 78 decrease-income countries. Gavi also performs a key position in improving international well being safety by supporting well being programs in addition as funding international stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After twenty years of growth, Gavi is now targeted on protecting the following know-how, above the entire zero-dose young folks who beget now not obtained even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the most modern know-how – from drones to biometrics – to set aside lives, prevent outbreaks earlier than they’ll spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Be taught extra at www.gavi.org and attach with us on Fb and X (Twitter).
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in among the most enviornment’s toughest areas, to attain the enviornment’s most disadvantaged young folks. During bigger than 190 countries and territories, we work for every youngster, in all places, to assemble the next world for everybody. For extra information about UNICEF and its work for young folks in Nigeria, visit www.unicef.org/nigeria
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About WHO
Devoted to the well-being of all folks and guided by science, the World Smartly being Organization leads and champions international efforts to give everybody, in all places an equal likelihood at a safe and healthy lifestyles. We are the UN company for well being that connects countries, companions and folks on the entrance lines in 150+ areas – leading the enviornment’s response to well being emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the basis causes of well being disorders and expanding salvage entry to to medicines and well being care. Our mission is to promote well being, maintain the enviornment safe and back the inclined.
For extra information about WHO, visit https://www.afro.who.int/countries/nigeria and apply WHO on Twitter, Fb, Instagram
