Meningitis Vaccine

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Meningitis Vaccine

Meningitis Vaccine
Context: Nigeria has achieved a historic milestone with the introduction of a new 5-in-1 Men5CVmeningitis vaccine rollout. Meningitis, characterized by a severe infection or inflammation of the meninges—a trio of thin membranes covering the brain and spinal cord—can be triggered by various bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites..

TYPE OF MENINGITIS	Causal Agents	Prevalence & Transmission	Health Risks	Common Symptoms	Vaccination
BACTERIAL MENINGITIS	Streptococcus pneumoniae	African Meningitis Belt in sub-Saharan Africa	HIV infection	Neck stiffness, fever, confusion	Vaccines available for: Meningococcus, Pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
	Listeria monocytogenes	High incidence of meningococcal and pneumococcal meningitis	Complement deficiency	Altered mental status, headaches
	Haemophilus influenzae		Immunosuppression	Nausea, vomiting
	Neisseria meningitidis		Active or passive smoking	Seizures, coma
VIRAL MENINGITIS	Herpes simplex virus, HIV			Neurological deficits (e.g., hearing loss)
FUNGAL MENINGITIS	Cryptococcal meningitis			Cognitive impairment
PARASITIC MENINGITIS	Amoeba

Men5CV Vaccine:
• Nigeria has achieved a historic milestone by introducing theMen5CV vaccine, making it the world\'s first country to adopt this highly effective vaccine against meningitis.
• The Men5CV vaccine, endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), provides protection against five strains (A,C, W, Y, and X)of meningococcus bacteria with a single injection.
• These five strains are responsible for causing meningitis and blood poisoning, offering broader coverage compared to existingvaccines used across much of Africa, which primarily target the A strain only.
• Nigeria, located within Africa\'s meningitis hyper-endemic region known as the African Meningitis Belt, aims to contribute to WHO\'s objective of eradicating meningitis by 2030.
• The African Union Commission underscores the significance of school feeding programs as a means to enhance nutrition and academic performance among children in Africa.