MenAfriVac (meningococcal A conjugate vaccine) / Serum Institute of India - LARVOL DELTA

Assessing policy decisions and implementation impact of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Schedule Change in Burkina Faso (ASTMH 2025) - "These findings highlight that while schedule revisions aim to enhance long-term protection and programmatic alignment, they may compromise dose completion unless accompanied by strengthened community engagement, service delivery, and follow-up systems. Burkina Faso's experience illustrates the trade-offs and implementation challenges that may arise when adjusting pneumococcal vaccination schedules."

Infectious Disease • Measles • Pneumococcal Infections • Rubella

Development of MenFive®, an affordable pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (ACYWX) for Africa and beyond. (PubMed, Hum Vaccin Immunother) - "The task of developing a low-priced, strongly immunogenic, pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine required multiple collaborators and complex coordination, with numerous challenges and lessons learned. Importantly, MenFive has the potential to eliminate meningococcal disease outbreaks-not only in Africa (with recent deployment of outbreak response during the 2024 and 2025 meningitis seasons) but also in other regions of the world."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Modelling of strategies for the introduction and routine use of multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MMCVs) in the African meningitis belt. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "These results support informed decision-making to sustain progress against meningitis and protect populations from future epidemics. MMCVs hold great promise in further reducing meningitis burden and approaching disease elimination in the region."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Infant Malaria Vaccine Schedule Optimization (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2 | N=1200 | Recruiting | Sponsor: PATH | Trial completion date: Nov 2027 ➔ Mar 2028 | Trial primary completion date: Nov 2027 ➔ Mar 2028

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Infant Malaria Vaccine Schedule Optimization (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2 | N=1200 | Recruiting | Sponsor: PATH | Not yet recruiting ➔ Recruiting

Enrollment open • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Modeling protective meningococcal antibody responses and factors influencing antibody persistence following vaccination with MenAfriVac using machine learning. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "The proposed approach also facilitates the interpretation of the relationship between input variables and antibody levels at a population level. By incorporating subject-specific demographic and medical variables, our models could potentially be used to tailor vaccination schedules to at-risk populations."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Infant Malaria Vaccine Schedule Optimization (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2 | N=1200 | Not yet recruiting | Sponsor: PATH

New P2 trial • Infectious Disease • Malaria

Analytical Challenges in Novel Pentavalent Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (A, C, Y, W, X). (PubMed, Vaccines (Basel)) - "Well-known meningococcal vaccines such as MenAfriVac, Nimenrix, Menveo, and MenQuadfi are licensed in various parts of the world and have been successful. Additional analytical challenges include the impact of excipients, potential interference from serogroups, selection and establishment of standards, age-dependent behavior of biomolecules indicated by molecular size distributions, and process-driven variations. This article explains the analytical insights gained (polysaccharide content, free saccharide, free proteins, MSD) during the development of the MenFive vaccine and highlights the crucial gaps and challenges in testing."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections • Tetanus

A perspective on the novel pentavalent Men5CV (NmCV-5) meningitis vaccine and Nigeria's pioneering rollout campaign. (PubMed, Infez Med) - "Funding from organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, highlights the importance of coordinated international efforts aligned with the WHO's roadmap for meningitis elimination by 2030. Stakeholder involvement, extensive immunization campaigns, and a strong healthcare infrastructure are all practical recommendations for public health integration."

Journal • Review • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections • Pain

Human health implications of emerging diseases and the current situation in India's vaccine industry. (PubMed, Sci One Health) - "With heavy privatesector investments, Indian pharmacology now provides core Expanded Programme on Immunization vaccines to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, producing previously unattainable vaccines for diseases like meningitis, hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate, rotavirus, influenza A (H1N1), and COVID-19...The Serum Institute has developed several vaccines, including Nasovac, MenAfriVac, Pentavac, and an inactivated polio vaccine...Despite its booming economy and technical advances, India's disproportionate share of the world's child mortality rate remains unchanged. However, the growing production and distribution of vaccinations in developing nations has initiated a new era, leading to a worldwide decline in childhood death and disease."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Hepatitis B • Hepatology • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Influenza • Measles • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pertussis • Pneumococcal Infections • Respiratory Diseases • Rotavirus Infections • Tetanus

Towards an African region free of meningitis by 2030: Vision, Challenges and Priorities (IVC-MG 2024) - "To tackle these challenges some priority interventions and actions were identified as follows: on epidemic prevention and control actions are to achieve and maintain high immunization coverage, to introduce effective and affordable new vaccines, including Nm, S. pneumo and Hib, to develop evidence-based policy on Nm, S. pneumo, Hib and GBS vaccination and improve strategies for epidemic prevention and response and to improve diagnosis of meningitis at all levels of care and increase in the timely collection and testing of diagnostic. To translate this vision into concrete action, these are our priorities: Accelerate key interventions to reduce meningitis epidemics and upgrade meningitis case management and support to reduce sequelae and deaths; Enhance the use of surveillance, data analytics, and evidence to drive progress; Improve country ownership, financing, community and civil society engagement, and partnerships for defeating meningitis; Enhance country ownership,..."

CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Influenza • Meningococcal Infections • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pneumococcal Infections • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases

Stability of lyophilized Meningococcal A conjugate vaccine, (MenAfriVac™) at elevated temperatures to support controlled temperature chain (CTC) claim. (PubMed, Biologicals) - "An additional in use stability (reconstitution) was also performed. All studies indicated that the product remains stable at real time as well as elevated temperatures and well within the specifications approved by NRA and formed the strong basis for CTC claim which is now recommended by WHO."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Trends in Neisseria meningitidis serogroups amongst patients with suspected cerebrospinal meningitis in the meningitis belt of Ghana: a 5-year retrospective study. (PubMed, BMC Infect Dis) - "This study showed the emergence of serogroup X, a non-vaccine type, as the predominant N. meningitidis serogroup in the wake of a declining serogroup W in Ghana's meningitis belt."

Journal • Retrospective data • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Meningococcal A conjugate vaccine coverage in the meningitis belt of Africa from 2010 to 2021: a modelling study. (PubMed, EClinicalMedicine) - "This methodological framework can be applied to estimate coverage for any vaccine that has been delivered in both routine and supplemental immunisation activities. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Efficacy and Effectiveness of the Meningococcal Conjugate Group A Vaccine MenAfriVac in Preventing Recurrent Meningitis Epidemics in Sub-Saharan Africa. (PubMed, Vaccines (Basel)) - "By the middle of 2011, it was clear that the vaccine was highly effective in preventing serogroup A carriage and disease. Post introduction meningitis surveillance revealed that serogroup A meningococcal disease had disappeared from all age groups, suggesting that robust herd immunity had been achieved."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup C Clonal Complex 10217 Outbreak in West Kpendjal Prefecture, Togo 2019. (PubMed, Microbiol Spectr) - "IMPORTANCE The recent emergence of an invasive NmC strain in Togo is an example of the changing bacterial meningitis epidemiology in the meningitis belt post-MACV. The current epidemiology includes the regional circulation of various non-NmA serogroups, which emphasizes the need for effective molecular surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, and a multivalent vaccine that is effective against all serogroups in circulation."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Impact of MenAfriVac on Meningococcal A Meningitis in Cameroon: A Retrospective Study Using Case-by-Case-Based Surveillance Data from 2009 to 2015. (PubMed, J Trop Med) - "This survey confirms the effectiveness of the MenAfriVac vaccine in Cameroon as expected by the WHO. The surveillance must be pursued and enhanced to monitor coming immunizations measures with multivalent conjugated vaccines for this changing threat."

Journal • Retrospective data • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

An overview of bacterial meningitis epidemics in Africa from 1928 to 2018 with a focus on epidemics "outside-the-belt". (PubMed, BMC Infect Dis) - "Bacterial meningitis remains a major public health problem in Africa today. Formerly concentrated in the region of the meningitis belt with Sub-Saharan and Sudanian environmental conditions, the disease extends now outside these historical limits to reach more forested regions in the central parts of the continent. With global environmental changes and massive vaccination targeting a unique serogroup, an epidemiological transition of bacterial meningitis is ongoing, requiring both a better consideration of the etiological nature of the responsible agents and of their proximal and distal determinants."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections • Pneumococcal Infections • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases

'Learn from the lessons and don't forget them': identifying transferable lessons for COVID-19 from meningitis A, yellow fever and Ebola virus disease vaccination campaigns. (PubMed, BMJ Glob Health) - "As supplies of COVID-19 vaccines become available to LMICs, countries need to prepare to efficiently roll out the vaccine, encourage uptake among eligible groups and respond to potential community concerns. Lessons from the implementation of these three vaccines that targeted adults in LMICs can be used to inform best practice for COVID-19 and other epidemic vaccination campaigns."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

The burden of meningococcal meningitis in the African Meningitis Belt, from 2009 to 2014: a trend analysis. (PubMed, Pan Afr Med J) - "Ever since the vaccine was introduced, there has been a decrease in the number of cases in the countries hence a reduction in the burden of the disease. after the introduction of the MenAfriVac, there has been a decline in the meningitis cases in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria while Sudan shows a decrease only in 2014."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Meningococcal Infections

Knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding prevention of bacterial meningitis in Burkina Faso, 5 years after MenAfriVac mass campaigns. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "This study shows a gender gap in knowledge of meningitis risk and prevention, largely due to education-level inequalities. Women below 21 years had particularly low levels of knowledge and may need interventions outside schools and perinatal care. Our study suggests a strong adherence to local understandings of and practices around meningitis risk and prevention, which should be taken into account by vaccination promotion."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease

Understanding the Role of Duration of Vaccine Protection with MenAfriVac: Simulating Alternative Vaccination Strategies. (PubMed, Microorganisms) - "Assuming that elimination does not occur, adding a booster dose is likely to prevent most cases but the caveat will be a more costly intervention. These results can be used to understand important sources of uncertainty around MenAfriVac and support decisions by policymakers."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease

Maternal Immunization With MenAfriVac™ (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3; N=200; Active, not recruiting; Sponsor: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Trial primary completion date: Mar 2021 ➔ Oct 2020

Trial primary completion date • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease

Maternal Immunization With MenAfriVac™ (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3; N=200; Active, not recruiting; Sponsor: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Trial completion date: Apr 2021 ➔ Aug 2021; Trial primary completion date: Nov 2020 ➔ Mar 2021

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease

Etiology of Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Pre- and Post-PCV13 Introduction Among Children Under 5 Years Old in Lomé, Togo. (PubMed, Clin Infect Dis) - "Routine surveillance showed that PCV13 vaccination is effective in preventing pneumococcal meningitis among children <5 years of age in the Maritime region. This complements the MenAfriVac vaccination against meningococcal serogroup A to prevent meningitis outbreaks in the northern region of Togo. Continued surveillance is vital for estimating the prevalence of PBM, determining vaccine impact, and anticipating epidemics in Togo."

Clinical • Journal • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Pediatrics • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases