Nigeria receives over 1 million vaccine doses to fight meningitis outbreak

Nigeria has received more than 1 million vaccine doses to fight a deadly meningitis outbreak across several of its states. The outbreak has killed so far over 70 people. The large vaccine donation comes from Gavi, the public-private partnership that helps fund vaccines for developing countries. The first shipment should enable the launch of a vaccination campaign targeting individuals aged 1-29 years, the most severely affected group. The campaign will start in Kebbi and Sokoto, expanding later to other states.
According to the WHO, Nigeria was the first country in the world to roll out the new Men5C vaccine against meningitis last year. Outbreaks are common during the dry season (December – June) when low humidity and high dust levels favour the spread of the disease. The country is one of the hotspots of meningitis in Africa, where at least 1700 cases were reported in 2024.