Title: Emergency or routine vaccination against meningococcal disease in Africa?
Abstract: The notorious “meningitis belt” in sub-Saharan Africa 1 Lapeyssonnie L La méningite cérébro-spinale en Afrique. Bull World Health Organ. 1963; 28: 1-114 PubMed Google Scholar extends from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and seems to be crawling southwards. The epidemics reach astonishing numbers; commonly thousands of people are affected and not infrequently tens of thousands. In more developed countries, where the diagnosis of meningococcal disease in just a few patients can lead to screaming headlines, media hysteria, and large-scale vaccinations, 2 Hume SE Mass voluntary immunization campaigns for meningococcal disease in Canada: media hysteria. JAMA. 1992; 267: 1833-1838 Crossref PubMed Scopus (32) Google Scholar it is difficult to comprehend the size of these epidemics. Emergency vaccination against epidemic meningitis in Ghana: implications for the control of meningococcal disease in West AfricaPrevention of epidemics of meningococal disease in west Africa will be difficult until long-lasting conjugate vaccines capable of interrupting transmission of Neisseria meningitidis can be incorporated into routine infant-immunisation schedules. Until then, the strategy of surveillance and response advocated by WHO is as effective and more practical than a strategy of routine childhood and adult vaccination with currently available polysaccharide vaccines. Full-Text PDF
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Language: en
Type: letter
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 10
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