Africa’s ‘meningitis belt’

Meningococcal disease has been reported this year in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Chad. These and several other countries in sub-Saharan Africa form the “meningitis belt,” an area that extends from Ethiopia in the east to Senegal in the west and experiences frequent epidemics of meningococcal meningitis.

Peaks of serogroup A meningococcal disease occur regularly in the region during the dry season (December through June), with large-scale epidemics every eight to 12 years.

The CDC recommends that anyone traveling to affected areas receive meningococcal quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccine (A/C/Y/W-135), especially if prolonged contact with the local population is likely.