Chippaux Jean-Philippe, Campagne G., Djibo S., Cissé L., Hassane A., Kanta I. (1999). Preventive immunisation could reduce the risk of meningococcal epidemics in the African meningitis belt. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 93 (5), p. 505-510. ISSN 0003-4983.
Titre du document
Preventive immunisation could reduce the risk of meningococcal epidemics in the African meningitis belt
Année de publication
1999
Type de document
Article
Auteurs
Chippaux Jean-Philippe, Campagne G., Djibo S., Cissé L., Hassane A., Kanta I.
Source
Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 1999,
93 (5), p. 505-510 ISSN 0003-4983
Control of meningitis epidemics is based on early case detection followed by mass campaigns of immunisation. However, this strategy showed severe inadequacies during recent outbreaks in Africa. In Niamey, Niger, meningococcal vaccinations began in 1978 and detailed bacteriological and epidemilogical surveillance of meningitis started in 1981. when vaccine coverage rates were higher than 50%, the prevalences of Neisseria meningitidis A meningitis were low in Niamey in 1994-1995 followed a 6-year period during which the mean rate of vaccine coverage remained less than 25%. The data indicate that, in the meningitis belt, preventive immunisation should avoid a great number of deaths and be less expensive than mass immunisation campaigns performed after epidemics have begun. (Résumé d'auteur)
