African countries with high incidences of meningitis include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria

October 22, 2010: The West African nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are test sites for a promising new meningitis vaccine that could save thousands of lives across sub-Saharan Africa’s “meningitis belt” stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia. 

By the end of September more than a million people received the shot against group A meningococcal meningitis -- the most prevalent strain plaguing this region of the world.  In 2009, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, 14 African countries reported more than 88,000 cases of meningitis, with some 4,000 deaths.

The three countries were chosen as pilot locations because of their high incidence of the contagious disease and their ability to carry out a large-scale vaccination campaign, according to the IRIN news service. The new vaccine will protect people against meningococcal A for ten years. The full campaign will roll out in December, the start of the meningitis season in this part of Africa.

The vaccine was jointly developed over eight years by the Serum Institute of India, WHO, and PATH, an international nonprofit organization.

SOS Children's Villages Protects Children from Fatal Diseases

SOS Children's Villages cares for orphaned and abandoned children as well families at risk in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and many other African countries.

Like other grave diseases in Africa, meningitis can kill, leaving children without care or the means of survival. The continent is full of boys and girls who are orphaned or abandoned due to disease. SOS Children's Villages has been in Africa for four decades raising vulnerable children who would otherwise have no future.

SOS Children's Villages is on the ground in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger where the new meningitis vaccine is being distributed. Each of these nations is home to two SOS Children’s Villages, where children without parental care are surrounded by love, warmth, and the support they need to grow into healthy adults.

In these countries SOS also operates schools and clinics that are open to local children and families. SOS medical facilities ensure vaccinations for SOS children whenever possible. SOS also provides disease-prevention counseling to nearby families as part of its family strengthening programs.

Give a child in Africa’s "meningitis belt" a chance at a promising life. Sponsor an SOS child.