WHO vows to end meningitis by 2030

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday announced a strategy to eliminate meningitis by 2030, which, if successful, could save more than 200,000 lives annually.

The strategy, called the Global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030, aimed to eliminate epidemics of bacterial meningitis, the most deadly form of the disease, and to reduce deaths by 70 percent and halve the number of cases.

The roadmap would prioritize high immunization coverage, development of new affordable vaccines, and improved prevention strategies and outbreak response, while strengthening speedy diagnosis and optimal treatment for patients.

Meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, predominantly caused by infection with bacteria and viruses.

The first-ever global strategy to defeat meningitis has been the result of a resolution on the disease passed by the World Health Assembly and endorsed unanimously by WHO member states in 2020.

Meningitis that is caused by bacterial infection tends to be the most serious, leading to around 250,000 deaths a year, and can cause fast-spreading epidemics.

It kills one in 10 of those infected, mostly children and young people, and leaves one in five with long-lasting disabilities, such as seizures, hearing and vision loss, neurological damage, and cognitive impairment.

Several vaccines protect against meningitis. However, not all communities have access to these lifesaving vaccines, and many countries are yet to introduce them into their national programs.

"It is time to tackle meningitis globally once and for all by urgently expanding access to existing tools like vaccines, spearheading new research and innovation to prevent, detecting and treating the various causes of the disease, and improving rehabilitation for those affected," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.