Meningococcal Meningitis

Factsheet

Key Facts

• Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
• The extended meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east (26 countries), has the highest rates of the disease.
• Before 2010 and the mass preventive immunization campaigns, Group A meningococcus accounted for an estimated 80–85% of all cases in the meningitis belt, with epidemics occurring at intervals of 7–14 years. Since then, the proportion of the A serogroup has declined dramatically.
• During the 2025 epidemic season, 23 African countries implementing enhanced surveillance reported 12 301 suspected cases including 650 (case fatality ratio of 5.3%) deaths. In addition, 15 health districts crossed epidemic threshold.
• Several vaccines are available to control the disease: a meningococcal A conjugate vaccine, C conjugate vaccines, tetravalent A, C, Y and W conjugate vaccines, meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines, and the latest new multivalent meningococcal conjugate A, C, Y, X, W vaccine (Men5CV/MMCV) prequalified by WHO in July 2023.
• As of May 2026, over 350 million persons aged 1 to 29 years have received meningococcal A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac/MenACV) in 24 countries of the African belt through preventive mass vaccination campaigns. Whereas, among them, 15 countries introduced MenAfriVac into the routine immunization schedule for children aged 9–18 months.

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the meninges that affects the brain membrane. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50% of cases if untreated.

Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Neisseria meningitidis is the one with the potential to cause large epidemics. There are 12 serogroups of N. meningitidis that have been identified, 6 of which (A, B, C, W, X and Y) can cause epidemics. Geographic distribution and epidemic potential differ according to serogroup.

Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord called the meninges. Viral and bacterial infections are the most common cause but bacterial meningitis is much more serious due to its rapid onset and poses a significant risk of death. Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis.

The use of the MenAfriVac® vaccine to prevent meningitis A epidemics in the African Region is one of the greatest vaccination success stories in public health history and highlights what partners can accomplish when unified by a compelling cause.

In 2014, the MenAfriVac® campaigns reached more than 63 million people with remarkable success. In all, over 350 million people between one and 29 years of age have benefited from the vaccine since 2010.

This unprecedented achievement is due to the overall availability, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. MenAfriVac® is incredibly stable – being the first vaccine to be used with the controlled temperature chain (CTC) approach. This has allowed its transport and storage for as long as 4 days in ambient temperatures up to 40°C.

The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends the conjugate meningitis A vaccine MenAfriVac® to be introduced in routine immunization schedules in sub-Saharan Africa. This recommendation ensures that infants are protected against meningitis and population-wide immunity is maintained.