Revolutionary new meningitis vaccine set to wipe out deadly epidemics in Africa

The West African nation of Burkina Faso today became the first country to begin a nationwide campaign to introduce a new meningitis vaccine that promises to rid the entire region of the primary cause of epidemic meningitis. The first vaccine designed specifically for Africa, MenAfriVac is expected to help eliminate meningococcal A epidemics in the 25 countries of the meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. An affordable solution Priced at less than US$ 0.50 per dose, MenAfriVac is a highly affordable solution to one of the region’s biggest health problems. Using a unique public-private partnership model, the development of MenAfriVac cost onlyUS$ 50 million – a fraction of the amount usually required to develop and bring a new vaccine to market. 450 million people at risk For more than 100 years, sub-Saharan Africa has suffered from epidemics that exact a terrible and deadly toll. As many as 450...