- Title: HEALTH-MENINGITIS/WHO Africa risks large meningitis outbreak - WHO
- Date: 28th July 2015
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (JULY 28, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS VARIOUS OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) NEWS CONFERENCE ONGOING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR AT WHO DEPARTMENT OF PANDEMIC AND EPIDEMIC DISEASES, OLIVIER RONVEAUX, SAYING: "What we have seen, is that this serogroup C has been extending from a few districts in Nigeria 2013 to a number of region in Nigeria, Niger 2014 and now big outbreaks, including the capital city Niamey in 2015. So clearly this serogroup is re-emerging in Africa." JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR AT WHO DEPARTMENT OF PANDEMIC AND EPIDEMIC DISEASES, OLIVIER RONVEAUX, SAYING: "Our best weapon to control this disease and meningitis in Africa, is vaccination. And we have two strategies. One is preventive vaccination to give vaccination to a cohort of people to prevent, to have a long term protection of the population. Unfortunately we don't have the right vaccine available for that." JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHO COORDINATOR FOR CONTROL OF EPIDEMIC DISEASES, WILLIAM PEREA, SAYING: "The problem that we are facing now is that if we don't manage to put together these 5 million stockpiles, we will be not well armed to respond to the epidemics that may hit Africa next year." JOURNALISTS
- Embargoed: 12th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Switzerland
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6Q7HA02QTZ13VMJ3FHTTAOYUM
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The World Health Organisation on Tuesday (July 28) said Africa risks a large meningitis outbreak and called for an immediate increase in vaccine production to ward off danger.
In just the first six months of 2015, 12,000 cases of meningitis C have been reported in Niger and Nigeria with 800 deaths, the WHO said.
"What we have seen, is that this serogroup C has been extending from a few districts in Nigeria 2013 to a number of region in Nigeria, Niger 2014 and now big outbreaks, including the capital city Niamey in 2015. So clearly this serogroup is re-emerging in Africa," said Dr. Olivier Ronveaux from the WHO department of Pandemic and Epidemic diseases.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF/Doctors Without Borders), the United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WHO, which together constitute the International Coordinating Group for Vaccine Provision for Epidemic Meningitis Control (ICG) are calling on vaccine manufacturers to step up meningitis C-containing vaccine production by 5 million doses before the 2016 meningitis season starts in January.
"Our best weapon to control this disease and meningitis in Africa, is vaccination. And we have two strategies. One is preventive vaccination to give vaccination to a cohort of people to prevent, to have a long term protection of the population. Unfortunately we don't have the right vaccine available for that," Ronveaux said.
The ICG says it has had preliminary discussions with vaccine manufacturers and impressed upon them the need to produce a stockpile of 5 million doses of vaccine, but so far they haven't yet revised their production plans to meet demand.
"The problem that we are facing now is that if we don't manage to put together these 5 million stockpiles, we will be not well armed to respond to the epidemics that may hit Africa next year," said Dr. Wiliam Perea, WHO Coordinator for Control of Epidemic Diseases.
Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50% of cases if untreated. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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