Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: The best kept secret in global health?

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared on LinkedIn:

“‘The limits are just in our mind’ – Andrea Lanfri, an incredible athlete and a meningitis survivor, told us earlier this year when President Emmanuel Macron gathered leaders to make commitments and pledges to Defeat Meningitis.

On World Meningitis Day, I remind leaders of Andrea’s wise words. Let’s stop this deadly and debilitating disease once and for all!

The best kept secret in global health?

Meningitis is a deadly and debilitating disease caused by several species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. It strikes quickly, inflaming the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and can be fatal within 24 hours or leave survivors with lifelong disability. It affects people of all ages in every part of the world.

For 50 years there was effectively zero progress on tackling meningitis.

Outbreaks would happen – especially in the meningitis belt that stretches across 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa – many people, especially children, would die and many more would suffer from lifelong disability with little access to rehabilitation.

Today, while meningitis is still a killer disease driving explosive outbreaks and infecting more than 2.5 million people globally every year, there is now a concerted fightback. Momentum if seized upon could even consign the meningitis belt to history, which would make it one of the greatest successes in human history.

So what’s moved the needle?

First, between 2010 and 2015, a killer strain of bacterial meningitis type A was virtually wiped out in Africa, thanks to a revolutionary vaccine that was rolled out in 24 countries, including Nigeria.

Second, in 2020 WHO Member States committed to implementing a new roadmap ‘Defeating Meningitis by 2030’ to end meningitis as a public health threat. Its five pillars comprehensively cover the scale-up of prevention, control, treatment, surveillance, and rehabilitation.

Third, just last month, building on the MenAfriVac vaccine success, a new vaccine called Men5CV that covers five strains of the disease was rolled out in northern Nigeria in response to an epidemic with the aim of reaching one million people.

And finally, a powerful group of advocates united earlier today in Paris in the run up to the Paralympics, led by those affected – including Paralympians, governments like France that have elevated this issue in the global agenda, and partners like Institut Pasteur, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and PATH.

Together, this powerful movement can drive forward progress on tackling meningitis, which is fully integrated with primary health care and can also help to combat antimicrobial resistance.

As well as commitments gathered in Paris, we’ll need to gather US $130 million to accelerate efforts to defeat meningitis.

As well as preventing over 900,000 deaths and nearly 3 million cases of meningitis by 2030, defeating meningitis would save billions of dollars in health costs and lost productivity.

Athlete Andrea Lanfri, an incredible athlete and a meningitis survivor, joined us in Paris which will this year host the Paralympics.

There is nothing that can stop Andrea from achieving his goals and we need to take his philosophy that ‘the limits are just in our mind’ and make sure together we defeat meningitis.”

Sorce: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/LinkedIn

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Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), a position he has held since 2017. In this role, he has led global health initiatives and responses to public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, Dr. Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, where he significantly improved healthcare infrastructure and expanded access to health services. He also served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, strengthening international diplomatic relations and advocating for health as a key component of global development.