The fight against meningitis in sub- Saharan Africa went a notch higher on Friday when the UN World Health Organization (WHO) approved an effective and affordable vaccine called MenAfriVac to be injected on vulnerable children.

The UN health agency said in a statement that routine immunization on infants in the meningitis hotspots across Sub- Saharan Africa will commence to reduce fatalities associated with the disease.

“The introduction of meningitis vaccine has dealt the epidemic a fatal blow. Nonetheless, there is need for political commitment in meningitis belt countries in Africa to contain the disease,” said WHO Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biological Jean Marie Okwo-Bele.

WHO has partnered with global health non-profit-PATH and Serum Institute of India Limited (SIIL) to form the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) that announced the introduction of MenAfriVac.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation bankrolled the research and development of the Meningitis vaccine.

During clinical trials in several African countries, MenAfriVac reduced new meningitis infections and deaths among infants.

“Health officials will be able to ensure that population wide protection is sustained by routinely immunizing infants,” remarked the Director of MVP Marie-Pierre Preziosi.

The new meningitis vaccine meets the international standards on quality, safety and efficacy. Experts said it can be administered to one year old infants in meningitis hotspots.

“With MenAfriVac, we have created a revolutionary new model for vaccine development and now we stand on the brink of protecting an entire generation from a devastating disease,” said the Director of vaccine access and delivery at PATH Kathy Neuzil.

Innovative public private partnership and political commitment fast-tracked the development of a meningitis vaccine for African infants.

Experts hailed the role of vaccines in tackling contagious diseases that kill and maim a large population in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The benefits of childhood immunization last a lifetime and MenAfriVac? Vaccine is one of the greatest success stories that showcase what partners can accomplish when united for a common mission,” said Chris Elias, the President, Global Development Program, Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation.