Meningitis vaccine in Burkina Faso
As many as 450 million people are at risk from meningococcal A disease, the primary cause of epidemic meningitis across Africa.
A new vaccine was developed by the Meningitis Vaccine Project. This is a partnership between WHO and PATH (an international NGO), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The new vaccine, MenAfriVac, was introduced in Burkina Faso at the end of 2010. It promises to provide long-term protection for children as young as one year, at a price affordable for Africa.