Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners launched the first-ever global strategy to defeat meningitis, a debilitating disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
By 2030, the goals are to eliminate outbreaks of bacterial meningitis – the deadliest form of the disease – and reduce deaths by 70% and halve the number of cases. The organizations estimate that in total the strategy could save more than 200,000 lives a year and significantly reduce disability caused by the disease.
This strategy, the Global Roadmap to End Meningitis by 2030, was launched by a broad coalition of partners involved in meningitis prevention and control during a virtual event organized by WHO in Geneva. Its aim is to prevent infections and improve the care and diagnosis of those affected.
“Wherever it occurs, meningitis can be fatal and debilitating; it strikes quickly, has serious health, economic and social consequences and causes devastating epidemics,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “It is time to tackle meningitis on a global scale once and for all – by urgently expanding access to existing tools such as vaccines, launching new research and innovations to prevent, detect and treat the various causes of the disease, and improving the rehabilitation of those affected. »
Meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, mainly caused by infection by bacteria and viruses.
Meningitis caused by bacterial infection is usually the most serious – leading to around 250,000 deaths per year – and can cause rapidly spreading epidemics. It kills 1 in 10 infected people – mainly children and young people – and leaves 1 in 5 people with long-term disability, such as seizures, hearing and vision loss, neurological damage and cognitive impairment.
Over the past decade, meningitis epidemics have occurred in all regions of the world, but most commonly in the “meningitis belt,” which spans 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These epidemics are unpredictable, can seriously disrupt health systems and create poverty, generating catastrophic costs for households and communities.
“More than half a billion Africans are at risk of seasonal epidemics of meningitis, but the disease has remained off the radar for too long,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “This shift from firefighting to strategic response cannot come soon enough. This roadmap will help protect the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of families who fear this disease every year.
Several vaccines protect against meningitis, particularly against meningococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type B and pneumococcal vaccines. However, not all communities have access to these life-saving vaccines, and many countries have not yet introduced them into their national programs.
While research is underway to develop vaccines against other causes of meningitis, such as group B streptococcus bacteria, there remains an urgent need for innovation, funding and research to develop more preventive vaccines against meningitis. Efforts are also needed to strengthen early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for all those who need it after contracting the disease.
“This roadmap embodies the ambition of affected individuals and families around the world who have called for its creation. It is their experience and their passion that pushed an entire community of interests to get to this point,” said Vinny Smith, chief executive of the Meningitis Research Foundation and the Confederation of Meningitis Organizations (CoMO), an international organization made up of meningitis patient advocacy groups. “We celebrate together the common goal of defeating meningitis and we will be guided by their inspiration to achieve it. »
The new roadmap details the following priorities for meningitis response and prevention:
- Achieving high vaccination coverage, developing new affordable vaccines and improving epidemic prevention and response strategies;
- Rapid diagnosis and optimal treatment for patients;
- Good data to guide prevention and control efforts;
- Care and support for those affected, with emphasis on early recognition and better access to care and support for after-effects, and
- Advocacy and commitment, to ensure high awareness of meningitis, accountability of national plans and affirmation of the right to prevention, care and follow-up services.
WHO and its partners are supporting countries to implement the Road Map, including by developing regional and national frameworks that will help countries achieve its ambitious goals.
Partner Quotes
“The Global Roadmap to End Meningitis demonstrates what can be accomplished when a global need is met through global action,” said Nikolaj Gilbert, President and CEO of PATH. “Progress against meningitis has been delayed for too long; By working together, we can beat this disease that has claimed so many lives around the world. PATH is proud to have participated in the development of the roadmap and is committed to promoting affordable and equitable vaccine solutions to defeat meningitis.
“We must be united in our efforts to end all preventable childhood diseases, including bacterial meningitis,” said Dr Aboubacar Kampo, director of health programs at UNICEF. “UNICEF has supported governments for decades, facilitating the delivery of life-saving meningitis vaccines. Yet far too many children are succumbing to this and other preventable illnesses – and the situation is only getting worse due to the pandemic. We must act decisively to strengthen primary health care and get routine immunization back on track, before more children face health problems – or death – inflicted by meningitis and other diseases. preventable infectious diseases.
“Even though the main burden of meningitis falls on poor countries, acute bacterial meningitis is a global problem and no country is spared from its devastating impact,” said Professor Sir Brian Greenwood, Professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and co-chair of the working group supporting the implementation of the roadmap. “Thus, containing this serious cluster of infections requires a global response. This is the goal of the road map, bringing together – under the aegis of WHO – health professionals from around the world to bring this disease under control by 2030.”
“The meningitis roadmap provides a clear plan to defeat this devastating disease,” said Professor Robert Heyderman, Head of Infection Research at University College London. “It basically identifies the gaps in our knowledge and the tools required. To achieve the ambitious goals of the Road Map, a team approach will bring together countries, global policymakers, civil society, donors, researchers, public health specialists, health professionals and the industry to generate and implement new innovative strategies.
Remarks
Today’s launch event was supported by a broad network of organizations and individual experts involved in meningitis prevention and control, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Médecins Sans Frontières, Epicenter, the Meningitis Research Foundation, PATH, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and CoMO. Additional thanks go to all partners involved in the development of the Roadmap.
The Road Map is the result of the first ever resolution on meningitis, adopted by the World Health Assembly and unanimously approved by WHO Member States in 2020.
One of the first concrete results of this roadmap is that WHO and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will launch an evidence-based global report on November 3.rd on identifying and preventing deaths from group B streptococcus, also known as streptococcus bacteria, the leading cause of neonatal and childhood meningitis.
