New Vaccine Targets Africa's Meningitis Belt

Based on the experience of European countries in vaccinating people with a similar conjugated vaccine against group C meningitis, Dr. Taha estimated that at least 90% of the target population will need to receive MenAfriVac in order to reduce transmission of the disease to unvaccinated people. It’s unknown whether this "quite high" coverage rate can be reached rapidly, he said.

Although MenAfriVac protects against group A meningococcal disease – by far the most prevalent type in Africa – outbreaks of meningitis caused by serogroups W135 and X in recent years mean that active surveillance for epidemics will still be necessary, he said.