Boost for anti-meningitis campaign

The European Commission (EC) has agreed to provide 2.5 million euros (about US $2 million) to help combat Ethiopia’s meningitis epidemic, in response to a special alert message issued by the UN Country Team for Ethiopia. In a statement, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) said the funds would be used for a mass vaccination campaign, and to treat people already suffering from the potentially fatal disease. The EC had now contributed more funds to the campaign than any other donor, the statement said. The funds would support the activities in the field of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Belgian, French and Dutch sections of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). In a special alert on 6 April, the UN Country Team for Ethiopia on 6 April called on international donors to provide the 3.7 million doses of vaccine needed to halt the spread of the disease. Only 30 percent of the target population had been vaccinated at that time, despite the fact the outbreak was “particularly alarming” due to its spread beyond the traditional meningitis belt, the country team said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the strain affecting Ethiopia was Sero-A type, the most virulent strain of meningitis, and the major cause of epidemics. A major outbreak of meningitis is expected in Ethiopia every eight to 12 years. The last epidemic occurred in 1989, and killed 1,650 people, WHO said.