True! Nigeria, first country to implement new meningitis vaccine, Men5CV

Claim: An X user claimed that Nigeria is the inaugural nation globally to implement a new meningitis vaccine, Men5CV.

Verdict: True. Nigeria is the first country to introduce the Men5CV vaccine against meningitis as recommended by the WHO.

Full Text 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria experienced a severe outbreak of Neisseria meningitis, specifically the serogroup C strain, which resulted in 1,742 suspected cases, including 101 confirmed cases.  There were  153 fatalities across Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe, and Zamfara from October 2023 to March 2024. Neisseria meningitis is dangerous for its quick spread and ability to inflict severe brain damage or even cause death.

Following the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a new vaccine.

An X user claimed that Nigeria is the first nation globally to implement the new meningitis vaccine, Men5CV. 

This claim has generated substantial engagement, with the post accumulating 1,000 reposts, 81 comments, 1,300 reactions, and 161,000  views.

Given the significance of this post and such a development in the fight against a deadly disease like meningitis, DUBAWA decided to investigate the accuracy of this claim. 

Verification

The Men5CV vaccine can indeed change the path of the disease by preventing future outbreaks, which is particularly crucial for Nigeria, given its location within the African Meningitis Belt and its vulnerability to meningitis outbreaks.

To verify this claim, DUBAWA conducted a comprehensive search across credible sources. We found that in response to this deadly outbreak, a vaccination campaign was launched from March 25 to March 28, 2024, aiming to initially vaccinate over one million individuals aged 1 to 29, as reported by the WHO. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed Nigeria’s status as the first country to roll out the Men5CV vaccine. According to (WHO), 

“In a historic move, Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria,” the statement partly reads.

Moreover, statements from Nigerian health officials and reports from health news outlets corroborate the vaccine’s introduction and its potential impact on public health in Nigeria and the African Meningitis Belt. In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said the vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to stop the outbreak and put the country on a path to elimination.

Significance of this development

The introduction of the Men5CV vaccine is a significant step forward in reducing the incidence of this disease and potentially saving numerous lives. It marks groundbreaking progress in the global battle against meningitis.

Nigeria is within the African Meningitis Belt and has been particularly susceptible to meningitis outbreaks. Therefore, the introduction of Men5CV is a historic initiative by the Nigerian government, aligning with the WHO’s strategy to eradicate meningitis by 2030. The WHO has praised Nigeria’s introduction of Men5CV, highlighting its potential to alter the course of the disease by preventing future outbreaks and saving countless lives.

Conclusion

The evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) official website and statements from Nigerian health officials revealed that Nigeria is the first country to roll out the Men5CV vaccine is true. 

This fact-check is produced for the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking Fellowship in partnership with Garkuwa FM to enrich the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in Nigeria.