Global Public Health

Course

PUBH-100: Global Issues in Public Health

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2018

Disciplines

Bacterial Infections and Mycoses | Diseases | Medical Education | Public Health

Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement

Niger is a semi-presidential republic located in western Africa. The majority of the population lives in the most extreme southern part of the country since 80% of Niger’s territory is occupied by the Sahara desert. The desert has been spreading in recent years forcing people to leave their subsistence farms. The majority of the population lives with less than 1 dollar per day. The first meningitis outbreak lasted from 2002 until 2012, but the 2015 outbreak was the one that caused more damage to the countries located in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa. The meningitis belt is the place with the highest burden of the disease, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. In the big outbreak in 2015, 12,000 cases were registered in Niger and Nigeria. 800 deaths were registered. The most effective prevention for Meningitis is vaccination. More than 220 million people have been vaccinated. The price of the vaccine was around US$ 0.50 per dose. The cost of the surveillance in Niger in 2015 was $1,951,562 US dollars. This report will talk about the cost of the surveillance in Niger, and how even more people could be vaccinated with a simple idea that apparently did not cross the minds of the health authorities.

Previous Versions

Feb 9 2018

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