Evaluation of meningococcal meningitis vaccination strategies for the meningitis belt in Africa

Abstract

Given the relatively poor routine vaccination coverage in this region, current strategies of vaccination campaigns that achieve higher coverage would generally be more effective and less costly than the modeled routine scheduled programs, assuming that campaigns can be rapidly implemented. Until a better vaccine is available, countries in this region would be more efficient in improving the response times to outbreaks, perhaps through improved surveillance, and in bolstering existing vaccination infrastructures rather than embarking on strategies of questionable effectiveness.