Meningitis is a life-threatening disease causing an estimated 2.5 million cases globally in 2019. Acute bacterial meningitis is one of the deadliest and most disabling forms of this illness, leading to death in one in six people, even in less than 24 hours, and leaving one in five people with lifelong disability after infection. The meningococcus is one of the leading causes of bacterial meningitis that can cause large-scale epidemics, a particular concern in an area of Sub-Saharan Africa, named the “African Meningitis Belt”. Many bacterial meningitis cases and deaths are vaccine-preventable, but progress in defeating meningitis lags behind other vaccine preventable diseases.
In response to a call for action from multiple stakeholders, WHO and partners have developed a global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030. The development of affordable rapid tests to detect meningococcal outbreaks and inform vaccine response has been prioritized as a key milestone towards the elimination of meningitis outbreaks, one of three visionary goals of the global Roadmap.
A WHO expert group has developed the target product profile (TPP) of this meningitis test, updating a previous version published in 2016. The WHO defines a TPP as a document that describes the minimum and preferred (or optimal) characteristics that a target product, such as this rapid test, must address to meet current health needs. The development and publication of TPPs aim to drive innovation by providing information for multiple stakeholders in the research and design pathway, including funders, researchers and product developers, on the performance and operational characteristics expected of products in development, if they are to meet the public health and programmatic needs.
Please provide comments using this online form TPP for meningitis surveillance rapid tests - Public consultation (available in English and French). Comments may be submitted by individuals or organizations and will be accepted until 6 June, 2023. Inputs received from this public consultation will contribute to the finalization of the meningitis test TPP.