Yei Town, 22 March 2016 - South Sudan’s largest ever immunization  campaign was launched  by the Minister of Health, Dr Riek Gai Kok amidst large crowd of youths in the presence of the State Governor, Parliamentarians, government sectors and cross-section of stakeholders including religious and community leaders and partners in Yei River State.

The first phase of the preventive campaign is being conducted in the states of the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr el Ghazal targeting people aged from one to twenty-nine years old. The aim of the introduction of the new conjugate meningitis A vaccine (MenAfriVac) is to protect about 5 million South Sudanese youths against the most dangerous form of meningitis called Meningitis A.

South Sudan forms part of the Meningitis Belt, a term used to denote the twenty- six countries in Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, which are prone to meningitis epidemics that have taken a devastating toll on younger populations for over a century. Those infected by the disease can die within 24 to 48 hours if not detected and managed after symptoms have developed and the disease may cause brain damage, learning and other disabilities among those patients who survive.

Through the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), a new Meningococcal A Conjugate vaccine, “MenAfriVac®”, was developed for the African Region, to provide a preventive measure through mass vaccination campaigns. Meningococcal A Conjugate vaccine has the major advantages of providing longer and stronger protection up to ten years, and rapidly inducing herd immunity even among children below two years.

The MVP, a partnership between WHO and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), was created in 2001 with core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its goal is to eliminate epidemic Meningitis as a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. The new conjugate meningitis A vaccine (MenAFriVac) was pre-qualified by WHO in June, 2010, and with the support of GAVI through its investment case grant with the technical support of WHO, UNICEF and other partners the campaign is conducted in South Sudan.

It is estimated that by 2017, the lives of over 7 million South Sudanese young adults will have been saved as a result of the meningitis vaccine. In his address at the campaign launch, the WHO Representative to South Sudan, Dr Abdulmumini Usman, affirmed that this meningitis vaccine marks an important step in the elimination of meningitis A locally called “Abufarar” in South Sudan. 

Meningitis is a terrible disease which creates suffering and kills young people in South Sudan. But now campaigns are bringing hope and protect children and young adults from this deadly disease, said Ms Shaya Ibrahim Asindua, the Deputy Representative of UNICEF to South Sudan.

In his speech, Dr Gai Kok, highlighted the important role of partnerships in the roll-out of the vaccination campaign. “This meningitis vaccination campaign is the result of all the concerted efforts of partners who have worked together to address and overcome health issues which pose a threat to our well-being”, he said.

Dr Abdulmumini commends efforts by the Government and people of South Sudan towards eliminating meningitis. He pledges WHO’s continued commitment and support to the good programmes of the MoH to make sure that all South Sudanese are not only healthy, but also strong and able to contribute to the sustainable development of the country.

__________________________________________

For more information, please contact:

Technical Contacts: Mr Anson Benjamin Edu- +211 - 0955335572; eduanson [at] yahoo.com
Communication Contact: Ms Jemila M. Ebrahim- +211-950450007; ebrahimj [at] who.int
__________________________________________

Below:

01 Dr Abdulmumini, reads the vaccination card of a student who has just been vaccinated against meningitis.

02 A fourteen year-old boy receiving the vaccine.

03 Minister of Health Dr Riek Gai Kok  and WHO Representative Dr Abdulmumini during the launching of the vaccination campaign against meningitis A in South Sudan.

04 The WHO technical officer during the monitoring visit in Yei.