Niger sounds the alarm about the meningitis vaccine

Nigerian health officials said Friday they found a fake version of a meningitis vaccine after the country launched a campaign to clear millions of children against the disease.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health has asked doctors to be vigilant against the "falsified" version of a vaccine called Mencevax ACWY.

The fake drug is said to have been manufactured in December 2016 and its end date before November 2021, he said.

Niger on March 5 launched a one – week campaign to vaccinate six million children against meningitis, which killed nearly 200 people two years ago.

The country is located in the "meningitis belt" that stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east where epidemics of the disease occur regularly.

The vaccination program focuses on meningitis A, one of six groups of meningitis bacteria that can cause epidemics.

The ministry spokesman told AFP that the fake drug had been discovered during a "routine inspection" of a private pharmacy in the capital Niamey.

An investigation is underway to try to determine how many fake vaccines have been used, the spokesman said.

Health workers who administer meningitis bites are urged to pay particular attention to their source of supply, and the public is urged to monitor vaccines clearly, even if they buy them in pharmacies. "approved".

Counterfeit medicines – counterfeit medicines or whose active ingredients have been diluted – are a major problem in West Africa.

During the epidemic of 2017 and an epidemic in 2015 that claimed the lives of nearly 500 people, Niger sounded the alarm bell about alleged vaccine vials containing just about l & # 39; water.

Meningitis is transmitted between people by coughing and sneezing, close contact and tight living conditions.

The disease causes acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord, with the most common symptoms being fever, headache, and stiff neck.