AMP Supports Meningitis Vaccine Introduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

Paris, France, December 6, 2010 – The Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) applauds the roll out of MenAfriVac™ vaccine in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The vaccine, which promises to offer long-term protection against life-threatening meningococcal meningitis, has been developed through the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and PATH.

Meningococcal meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is highly contagious and can result in death if not treated right away. Survivors often suffer permanent damage, from hearing loss to mental retardation and epilepsy.

The “meningitis belt” of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, has the world’s largest share of meningococcal meningitis. Epidemics occur during the dry season, when dust winds, cool nights, and upper respiratory tract infections combine to damage mucous membranes, increasing the risk of the disease.

Vaccination in Africa

The best way to prevent meningococcal meningitis is vaccination. Up until now, however, available vaccines only offered short-term protection, did not protect infants from the disease, and failed to confer herd immunity among large populations. 

MenAfriVac™ offers hope to address these issues. It targets the specific type of disease that causes most epidemics in the meningitis belt and at a price that many countries can afford: around US$.40 a dose. Plus, it promises a longer duration of protection for infants and adults alike. Dr. Marc LaForce, director of the MVP, anticipates that the upcoming mass vaccination campaign in Burkina Faso will drastically reduce the number of meningitis cases in a couple of years, the time when all newborns will begin receiving the vaccine.

AMP’s Meningitis Work

For more than a decade, AMP has played an important role in highlighting the devastating effects of meningococcal meningitis on African households and the willingness of populations to adopt a meningitis vaccine. As early as 1997, it participated in Côte d’Ivoire’s mass meningitis vaccination drive in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Hygiene (Institut National d'Hygiène Publique). More recently, AMP conducted the only study in sub-Saharan Africa quantifying the socio-economic impact of meningitis on families and the health care system. In addition, it has carried out extensive surveillance studies in large areas in Burkina Faso and Togo documenting the incidence of the disease. It has likewise performed a series of carriage and seroprevalence studies with the Centre Muraz in Burkina Faso to provide the necessary information to evaluate vaccine impact. Finally, in numerous African countries, AMP has introduced molecular biology techniques for the identification of meningitis types specific to the African context. 

“We applaud the introduction of MenAfriVac™ in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr. Philippe Stoeckel, chairman of AMP. “We have been working in the field for several years on meningitis and see this as an historic opportunity to reduce and control devastating epidemics.”

About AMP

Founded in 1972, AMP is a nonprofit organization with headquarters at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and offices in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Vietnam. AMP is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those most in need across the globe. Along with our public- and private-sector partners, we aim to:

• Enhance scientific knowledge in support of evidence-based health policies
• Strengthen immunization service delivery, logistics, and innovation 
• Develop human and institutional capacity for improved health system performance

Initially present in Africa and now working globally, AMP has forged strong partnerships with countries where it operates, inter-state regional institutions, international organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector.