2024-05-02 13:32:59
Paralympic athletes join the fight against a deadly disease
Paris, April 25, 2024 – During a summit jointly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the French government, under the patronage of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republicworld leaders have emphasized the need to defeat meningitis, a major cause of disability. The event will be held on April 26 and 27, 2024 at the Institut Pasteur and they will be supported by key athletes who will promote this cause in the lead up to the Paris Paralympic Games.
Building on the announcement of Nigeria’s successful deployment of a new reliable and highly effective vaccine against five major types of bacterial meningitis in Africa, the leaders pledged to follow the global map. “Enduring meningitis by 2030”. This initiative requires an initial investment to take action. This innovative plan looks comprehensively at how to detect, control and defeat meningitis in all regions of the world, and provides rehabilitation for people who have suffered from the disease.
A fatal and disabling disease
“Bacterial meningitis kills 1 in 6 people and leaves 1 in 5 with permanent disability. But many of these deaths and disabilities are preventable with vaccines,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Committing to defeat meningitis by 2030 will not only save lives, but save billions of dollars in healthcare costs and lost productivity. »
Meningitis is a fatal and disabling disease. It strikes quickly, causes serious health, economic and social consequences and affects people of all ages in all regions of the world. Meningitis outbreaks disproportionately affect people living in a known area “meningitis zone”, made up of 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Meningitis is fatal in half of untreated cases, but vaccines have greatly reduced epidemics such as meningitis A in Africa,” said Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi. “Effective new vaccines targeting five main types, such as the Men5CV recently deployed in Nigeria, are reaching high-risk countries. Gavi’s continued support for the multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccination program, with the donor funding needed for our next five years of work, is critical to continuing to roll out the vaccine in high-risk countries.”
“Suffering from meningitis by 2030”…
The “Beat Meningitis by 2030” roadmap is an innovative approach that enables all stakeholders to work together to tackle all aspects of the disease.. If fully funded and implemented, this roadmap could prevent nearly 3 million cases of meningitis and at least 900,000 deaths by 2030. which would save between $4 billion and $10 billion in medical costs and billions more in indirect costs over the decade.
The roadmap, approved by the World Health Assembly in its first ever resolution on meningitis in 2020, details step by step how to strengthen meningitis prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. The objectives will be achieved thanks to five pillars: epidemic prevention and control, diagnosis and treatment, disease surveillance, care and support, and awareness and participation. This approach is not only about preventing and treating meningitis, but also emphasizes the support and care needed for people with debilitating conditions as a result of the infectious disease.
…an attainable goal
With the Paralympic Games taking place later this year, France took the opportunity to highlight the impact on the health and well-being of people living with long-term disability but also on their education, access to employment and income. expressed strongly. a path that will allow them to access a better quality of life.
“France is honored to host the first conference on the “Overcoming Meningitis by 2030″ roadmap. The objectives set out in the roadmap are ambitious and innovative, and I am confident that they can be achieved thanks to the commitments made by all the stakeholders present today.” declared Frédéric Valletoux, Minister Delegate in charge of Health and Prevention. “It is because of the cooperation between the Member States, technical experts and leaders from civil society, academia and the private sector that we will be able to face this challenge together. Our goal is clear: to effectively fight this deadly disease and build a fairer and more resilient world.”
Hope for the fight against other bacterial diseases
This meeting, the first on meningitis, is co-sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Pasteur Institute and UNICEF. The roadmap is not just about investments in the fight against meningitis, but can have a far-reaching impact on primary health care. Its success may accelerate progress in reducing diseases such as sepsis and pneumonia, which are caused by the same bacteria that cause meningitis, and may help fight antimicrobial resistance.
Significant progress has been made since all Member States approved the roadmap. The WHO now plans to accelerate priority research activities, continue to update and develop key strategies and policies, and continue to support countries in the six WHO regions to develop their national plans to combat meningitis. Full implementation of the roadmap initiatives will be enabled with additional commitments in the coming months.
Notes to editors:
To learn more about the “Beat Meningitis by 2030” roadmap, click HERE.
Quotes from partners:
“The third part of the steps in the roadmap relates to research, which is necessary to continuously improve vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and their subsequent impact,” declared Professor Yasmine Belkaid, president of the Pasteur Institute. “The Pasteur Institute is proud to co-sponsor today’s meeting and looks forward to working closely with its partners to make the benefits of this research accessible where the needs are greatest.
“For me, the most extraordinary aspect of the roadmap is that it places a strong emphasis on support and care for people with after-effects or disabilities,” said Davide Morana, a Paralympic athlete and member of the Roadmap Strategy Support Group, who contracted meningitis at the age of 24. “As someone with a severe disability, it’s really exciting to see innovative work being done not only to prevent meningitis, but also to help those who continue to live with the effects of the disease. »
“Children and adolescents are at greatest risk of meningitis worldwide. It can strike quickly and cause neurological damage, hearing loss, developmental delays and even death,” said Ephrem Lemango, UNICEF’s associate director for health, global immunization leader. “Together with our partners, we are committed to strengthening routine immunization of children and ensuring sufficient supply to meet demand, both outbreaks and prevention, so that no child has to suffer this disease again. »
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has long supported the development of affordable meningitis vaccines and ensured that children around the world have access to them,” said Keith Klugman, director of pneumonia and pandemic preparedness at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Guided by the WHO roadmap and strengthened by Gavi and UNICEF’s support for vaccine delivery, this multilateral joint effort puts partners on the path to eliminating meningitis, and we are proud to participate in today’s event.”
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