Kebbi – This week, Nigerian Ministry of Health administered more than 1,000,000 meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MEN5CV) from a Gavi-funded global stockpile to combat the meningeal world C and W outbreaks in northern Nigeria. The outbreak has already claimed more than 70 lives, with over 800 cases in 23 states. Seasonal outbreaks are common during the dry season, which lasts from December to June, peaking during March to April when humidity is low and dust levels are high. This initial shipment will allow for the launch of an outbreak response campaign aimed at the most severely affected group, individuals aged 1-29. The campaign was originally launched in Kebbi and Sokoto states, with plans to expand to Yobe state once additional doses arrive in the country.
Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, Minister of Health and Social Welfare of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said: We appreciate the support of the Global Health Organization (WHO) for Nigeria’s renewal investment initiative and sector-wide approach.
Gavi, a vaccine alliance, funds the global stockpile of vaccines against cholera, Ebola, meningitis and yellow fever that are accessible to all countries around the world, supporting the costs of procurement, delivery and outbreak response campaigns in low-income countries, supporting significant prevention and routine immunization activities. The use of stockpiles for outbreak response is controlled by the International Coordination Group (ICG) for Vaccine Delivery, and the dose is delivered to the country by UNICEF. ICG has approved the deployment of more than 1.5 million MEN5CVs in response to Nigeria’s request in March 2025.
“With Gavi’s support, the vaccine has eliminated meningitis from the African meningitis belt. Now they are fighting other serogroups of this deadly and debilitating disease, and are approaching the goal of eliminating meningitis by 2030.” “Continued investment in this work is important to protect the incredible progress made so far, control future outbreaks, and dramatically reduce the devastating impact of the seasonal meningitis epidemic on families and communities.”
Meningococcal meningitis – meningeal infections, a thin lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord – is most common in Africa’s “meningitis belt” and spreads to 26 countries in Africa – from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east – with a population of about 500 million. The highest risk of infection is in infants, children and young adults. One in four survivors suffer from permanent disabilities, such as hearing loss. Seizures; weakness in the limbs; difficulty in vision, speech, language, memory, and communication. Not only scars and limb amputations. The epidemic occurs during the dry season (December to June) and waves can last for 2-3 years.
“All children deserve protection from life-threatening diseases like meningitis, and the arrival of meningitis vaccines marks an important step in halting the current outbreak and protecting Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations. Christian Munduet, president of Nigeria’s UNICEF, said:
Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, representative of the Nigerian country, stated, “As Nigeria continues to fight the current outbreak of meningitis, the arrival of the Mencv5 vaccine provides much needed effort, from research and development to birth, from Nigeria’s collaborative efforts and the journey of the Mencv5 vaccine among other governments. The MENCV5 vaccine, which addresses the ongoing outbreak, is also important for Nigeria’s long-term security.
Over the years, Gavi has worked with the nation to help vaccinate meningitis, reaching over 400 million children and young people up to 29 years of age through campaigns and routine immunizations. These efforts have helped Africa eliminate meningitis as no new cases have been detected since 2017.
The MEN5CV vaccine, approved by the WHO in 2023, represents a significant advancement in a high-risk country with the meningitis zone in Africa, providing protection against five major serogroups of meningococcal bacteria.
Since 2024, Gavi has been supporting countries with meningitis belt, deploying MEN5CV for outbreak response, switching to MEN5CV for routine vaccinations, and helping risk countries run preventive mass campaigns. The first country has been approved to switch from MENACV to Men5CV at the end of 2025 – hopefully moving towards the goal of reducing the need for future outbreak response campaigns and eliminating the disease by 2030.
As of the end of 2024, since 2009, the global meningococcal vaccine stockpile had been accessed 68 times in 16 countries, with over 34 million doses deployed in support of the country.
About the Vaccine Alliance, Gabi
Gavi, Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half of the world’s children against some of the world’s most deadly diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together partners from developing countries and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical institutions, civil society, the Gates Foundation and other private sectors. Check out our full list of donor governments and other major organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.
Since its founding in 2000, Gavi has supported more than 1.1 billion children to vaccinate generations, preventing more than 18.8 million future deaths, and halving child mortality rates in 78 low-income countries. Gavi plays a key role in improving global health security by funding global stockpiles of Ebola, cholera, meningococcus and yellow fever vaccines, as well as supporting the health system. After 20 years of progress, Gavi is currently focusing on protecting zero-dose children who have not even received one vaccine shot. Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology from drones to biometrics. For more information, please visit www.gavi.org. X (Twitter).
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the toughest places in the world to reach the world’s most underprivileged children. Spanning over 190 countries and territories, we work for all children to build a better world for all. For more information about UNICEF and Nigerian children’s jobs, visit www.unicef.org/nigeria.
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Dedicated to the well-being of all people and led by science, the World Health Organization leads and defends global efforts to give everyone an equal opportunity for a safe and healthy life. We are the United Nations health organisation that brings together nations, partners and frontlines in over 150 locations, leading the global response to health emergencies, prevent illness, address the root causes of health issues, and expand access to medicines and healthcare. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve vulnerable people.
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