MOH will administer Meningitis ‘A’ vaccine in the three northern regions

The Ministry of Health, in its efforts to reduce the incidence of meningitis epidemic that regularly hits the northern sector of Ghana, has introduced a new vaccine “Meningitis A Conjugate Vaccine” (MenAfriVac) to prevent Meningococcal Meningitis ‘A’ epidemic in the three northern regions. The Meningococcal disease is an infection of meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. It is usually caused by a virus or bacterium (meningococcal). The vaccine, specifically made for Africa, was expected to prevent 123,000 deaths by 2018; prevent permanent disability in 287,000 children and adults; prevent 11 million DALYs lost – the sum of year of potential life lost due to premature mortality and the years of productive life lost due to disability- and save approximately 99.7 million dollars in medical costs for diagnosis and treatment. The new vaccine has already been introduced to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso which is expected to be...