WHO: Nigeria recieves 500,000 Doses of Meningitis C Vaccine

According to WHO, Nigeria has received 500,000 doses of meningitis C containing vaccine to combat the epidemic in the country. According to the report, the doses were sent by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, an organisation that coordinates the provision of vaccine during outbreak emergencies. This was revealed by Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, the WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, said this in a statement in Abuja on Friday. He said the vaccines, funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have been administered in Zamfara and Katsina States where the disease was most endemic. Alemu noted that an additional 820,000 doses of the meningitis C conjugate vaccine donated by the UK government to WHO was currently being sent to Nigeria, adding that in the last week, the ICG also sent 341,000 doses of the Meningitis C-containing vaccine to Niger Republic. According to him, this was because over 1,300 suspected cases of the disease had been found in the region particularly in districts that border with Nigeria and in the Niamey region of the country. He stated that a vaccination campaign was underway in Nigeria to contain an outbreak of Meningitis C, a strain of meningitis that first emerged in the country in 2013 and was initially limited to a few areas in Kebbi and Sokoto states, while recalling that in 2013, the outbreak was initially limited to a few areas in Kebbi and Sokoto States. However, he pointed out that in 2015, more than 2,500 cases of the disease have been reported across 3 states in the country. He noted that the WHO's Country Office in Nigeria, including a number of field offices, have been supporting the government since the meningitis outbreak began adding that Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with support from WHO, the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), UNICEF and other partners were leading the response to the on-going outbreak. He said apart from the use of vaccinations to prevent the transmission of meningitis, 20,000 vials of antibiotics have been sent by the ICG to treat those with the disease in Nigeria, stating that most vaccines currently being used for Meningitis C outbreaks in Africa were polysaccharide vaccines, which were in short supply, as they were being phased out in other parts of the world. Read more: The Guardian