New, Cheap, Meningitis Vaccine Could Prevent Epidemic in Africa

A new meningitis vaccine, costing a fraction of the prices charged by big pharma, could help prevent epidemics in Africa, transforming the way doctors fight outbreaks of the deadly disease.

MenAfriVac protects against type A meningitis, which is attributed to more than 90% of outbreaks in Africa. It was approved by WHO last week, meaning that other agencies, like UNICEF, can now buy it for countries. It costs about 50 cents per dose.

Meningitis is a highly contagious disease which results in a serious infection of the thin lining surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. It can lead to severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 percent of cases if untreated.

The epidemic strikes more than 25 countries in sub- Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west to Somalia in the east. Last year there were 80,000 cases including more than 4,000 deaths. Children and young adults are most at risk.

MenAfriVac will be launched in Burkina Faso on December 6 through collaboration with the WHO. Everyone aged 1–29 — the group hit hardest by the disease, numbering 12.5 million people, will be vaccinated. The program will then reach out to Mali and Niger, which will each vaccinate 4 million people in the same age bracket. The WHO hopes to complete this project that will vaccinate 450 million people in 25 African countries by 2015.

- Martina Georgieva

SOURCE: The Guardian

New meningitis vaccine to be unleashed in Africa this fall

Yesterday, The New York Times reported on a new meningitis vaccine, which costs only $.50 a treatment, that is due for mass distribution in Africa this fall. The vaccine is meant to cheaply, but effectively, target the epidemic that plagues Sub-Saharan Africa every year. The region is home to the "meningitis belt," 25 countries from Ethiopia to Senegal that have the highest rates of meningitis infections in the world. Between 25,000 and 200,000 people are effected by the outbreak every year, most of whom are children. Nearly 10% of infected people die within 48 hours of contracting the disease, with another 20% suffering from brain damage or hearing loss. Seasonal winds spread the highly contagious disease, with most of the cases occurring between February and May.

However, this new vaccine may provide a way for financially strapped African governments to provide an effective solution to the disease. The vaccine was developed under the co-operative efforts of the World Health Organization and PATH, a non-profit based in Seattle that develops treatments for diseases in third world countries. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded five years of research and trials for the vaccine as well. Meningitis is highly preventable with proper vaccination- many US schools require students to be immunized. The vaccine is due for it's first major distribution in Burkina-Faso this October. However, the number of countries who have access to the medication will be determined by how much donors are able to give.

-Matthew Thwaites

SOURCES: "Africa: In a Meningitis Hotbed, a New Vaccine at a Price Governments Can Afford"-NY Times, "West African meningitis epidemics driven by the wind"-Medical News Today, "Meningococcal meningitis"-WHO

USAID Food For Peace in Burkina Faso

The USAID Food For Peace (FFP) office provides money to private voluntary organizations and the UN World Food Program to benefit people in 49 countries around the world. In the 2008 fiscal year, they provided 2.6 million metric tons of food, valued at more than $2.6 billion. In addition to providing funds to purchase food, it helps to develop programs for better food security.

In Burkina Faso, the program aims to increase crop productivity and household nutrition through strategies such as primary school meal programs and micro financing for women in rural areas. In 2008, Burkina Faso received $12.5 million in food assistance aid. The programs implemented by Africare in 104 villages in northern Burkina Faso were especially successful. The program was awarded the "Chevalier de l'Ordre National," which is a high honor from the Burkinabe government. By increasing poverty reducing legislation, such as the Global Food Security Act, successful programs like this would receive more funding.