Thread by @WHO

🆕! First ever global strategy to #DefeatMeningitis - a debilitating disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year. 👉bit.ly/2XQChtM

#Meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, predominantly caused by infection with bacteria and viruses. It can be fatal within a few hours and cause lifelong disability.

👉bit.ly/2XQChtM #DefeatMeningitis

#Meningitis that is caused by bacterial infection tends to be the most serious – leading to around 2⃣5⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ deaths a year - and can cause fast-spreading epidemics.

👉bit.ly/2XQChtM #DefeatMeningitis

#Meningitis kills 1⃣ in 🔟 of those infected – mostly children and young people - and leaves 1⃣ in 5⃣ with long-lasting disability, such as seizures, hearing and vision loss, neurological damage, and cognitive impairment.

👉 bit.ly/2XQChtM #DefeatMeningitis

Over the last ten years, #meningitis epidemics have occurred in all regions 🌏🌍🌎 of the world.

The highest burden is in the ‘meningitis belt’ of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

👉bit.ly/2XQChtM #DefeatMeningitis

Vaccines 💉 can be given against meningococcus and pneumococcus bacteria and Haemophilus influenzae - all common causes of the disease.

#VaccinesWork to #DefeatMeningitis! 👉bit.ly/2XQChtM

#Meningitis is always a medical emergency. Symptoms can include:
🔸 stiff neck
🔸 fever
🔸 sensitivity to light
🔸 confusion
🔸 headaches
🔸 vomiting
🔸 rash
🔸 seizures

Infants 👶 may:
🔹 have a bulging fontanelle
🔹 be droopy and unresponsive

By 2030, the new roadmap to #DefeatMeningitis aims to:

🚩 eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics
🚩 reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% & deaths by 70%
🚩 reduce disability & improve quality of life for meningitis survivors.

Priorities for #meningitis response & prevention, incl.:

✅ high immunization coverage + development of new affordable vaccines 💉
✅ speedy diagnosis, optimal treatment and disability support for patients
✅ good data to guide prevention & control efforts.

#DefeatMeningitis