Under the new initiative, WHO will work with international partners over the next three years to enable affected countries to identify epidemics at their outset, take timely preventative measures to reduce spread of the disease, and provide rapid treatment of cases. To assist in this effort, WHO has prepared a new set of technical guidelines updating current knowledge on cerebrospinal meningitis, which will aid health officials to detect and control outbreaks. Yesterday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa completed a 3-day consultation in Brazzaville, Congo with a select group of epidemiologists from the region and WHO specialists. The purpose of the consultation was to develop a protocol for assessing country preparedness and to assist in preparing a comprehensive plan of action to control meningitis epidemics.
Cerebrospinal meningitis is the only form of bacterial meningitis which causes epidemics.
While epidemics can occur in any part of the world, the largest are mainly in the meningitis belt of Africa. In this region, epidemics recur in cycles of 8-12 years during the dry season, although intervals between epidemics have shortened and become more irregular in some countries since the beginning of the 1980s. Epidemic cycles in a particular country can last for 2-3 consecutive years. As is usually the case in West Africa, the current epidemic is caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A, a fact confirmed by analysis of specimens carried out by the WHO Collaborating Centre in Oslo, Norway. The need to reinforce the capacity of countries in the region for preparedness, detection and control of meningitis epidemics is recognized by governments and by the international community as a public health priority.