In November 2020, the World Health Assembly approved the first global plan for tackling meningitis, with the goal of defeating the disease by 2030.
That makes 2025 the halfway point in
the World Health Organization’s
Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030; an important moment for us to take stock of progress and push forward our shared mission to reduce the devastating impacts of this disease.
Image credit: WHO, Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030
The situation in 2025
The last few years have seen incredible progress, with the WHO’s
first high-level meeting on meningitis, the launch of the WHO’s
investment case for defeating meningitis, the introduction of
a new vaccine in Nigeria and Niger and the development of a number of
national action plans for defeating meningitis.
However, there is still so much more to do.
The need for a united voice to push for action is more crucial than ever given the seismic changes to the global health sector over the past few weeks. We’ve seen the United States and Argentina formally announce their intent to withdraw from the WHO. We have also seen the halting of US funding for global health-impacting activities run by USAID, US Centers for Disease Control and other agencies. The potential impact of this cannot be understated.
It is therefore timely that the WHO’s Executive Board came together earlier this month to discuss progress against the goals set out in the Global Road Map, and to acknowledge what more needs to be done to defeat meningitis.
Members States share progress and barriers to defeating meningitis
The WHO’s Executive Board is made up of 34 members, each representing a different WHO Member State. At its
156th session, which took place in Geneva from 3
rd to 11
th February, the Executive Board took time to discuss
a report published by Director-General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, which looks into progress on the implementation of the Global Road Map.
The discussion was rich, with representatives from across the world making statements. Interventions covered a number of issues within meningitis, including vaccine equity, the need for clear guidelines on diagnosis, treatment and care and disease surveillance.
There was also a statement from Cameroon on behalf of the 47 Member States in the African region which highlighted the need for funding to enable critical work to defeat meningitis, including for the development of national action plans.
“Our goal is Africa free from meningitis by 2030.”
Representative from Cameroon on behalf of 47 African Member States
The WHO’s commitment to defeating meningitis
Interventions from members were met with responses from three of the WHO’s Assistant Director-Generals. Meningitis was also mentioned in the Director General’s closing remarks at the very end of nine days of in-depth discussion across many issues in global health.
The significance of this engagement was highlighted by Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General of the WHO, in his concluding statements:
“The single greatest illustration of WHO's commitment to eliminating meningitis and its scourge in the coming years is the fact that you have three Assistant Director-Generals responding to the issue… What was striking about the conversation today and Tuesday and in contrast to other [issues], was that over 30 countries talked about the Road Map and from every single region, not just those that are most seriously affected by the disease.”
Moving forwards towards 2030
While there is still a long way to go, this level of engagement from some of the most important decision-makers in global health is heartening.
The role of civil society and advocates in ensuring that meningitis is, and remains, a political priority is undeniable. We know how much of a difference it makes when policymakers are reminded of the human impact of meningitis. By sharing our stories, writing to our representatives, or taking part in global campaigns like
World Meningitis Day, we are all playing our part in ensuring that the impact of meningitis cannot be ignored.
With just over five years left in the Global Road Map, now is the time for action to turn the words of policymakers into action to defeat meningitis by 2030.
Read more about the WHO’s Executive Board meeting.
Find out more about the Global Road Map and how you can get involved.