The introduction and rollout of a meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine, MenAfriVac, in the African meningitis belt has eliminated serogroup A meningococcal infections for >300 million Africans. However, serogroup C, W, and X meningococci continue to circulate and have been responsible for focal epidemics in meningitis belt countries. Affordable multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines are being developed to prevent these non-A epidemics. This article describes the current epidemiologic situation and status of vaccine development and highlights questions to be addressed to most efficiently use these new vaccines.
Keywords: epidemic prevention; meningitis belt; multivalent meningococcal vaccines.
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.