Nigeria's Garkida Community Celebrates Victory Over Meningitis with Vaccination

In Garkida, a community located in Adamawa State, northern Nigeria, the onset of the dry season no longer invokes fear of meningitis, a disease that has historically wreaked havoc in this region. The introduction of vaccines has significantly altered the landscape of public health, transforming Garkida from a hotspot of meningitis outbreaks to a beacon of hope in the fight against this deadly disease.

For years, meningitis, particularly bacterial meningitis, claimed numerous lives in Garkida. The disease, characterized by inflammation of the meninges—the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord—has been a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, especially within the meningitis belt that stretches across the African continent. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the country recorded 2,765 suspected cases and 190 deaths between 2022 and 2023, with Adamawa State contributing to these alarming figures.

In an interview with VaccinesWork, Saratudin Banu, a mother of four, recounted the harrowing experience of losing a friend's son to meningitis in 2007. "Since that experience, I have never allowed my children to play outdoors in the dry season. I had never heard of meningitis until our friend’s son died of the disease," she said. This tragic event underscored the pervasive fear of meningitis that gripped families in Garkida, forcing many to keep their children indoors during the dry season.

The turning point came in 2012 when health workers began vaccinating children against meningococcal meningitis using MenAfriVac, a newly developed vaccine. Banu recalls taking her children for vaccination without hesitation, feeling a mix of sadness and relief as she thought of her friend’s son. "Before the vaccine, many parents like me lived in fear. But today, I don’t dread the dry season anymore. The cases are not as rampant as they used to be," she stated.

Adamawa State is one of 19 states in Nigeria that have been designated as 'meningitis states' due to their location within the meningitis belt, a region notorious for frequent and severe outbreaks. The belt stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia, encompassing 26 countries where epidemics occur every five to twelve years, often during the dry season.

The introduction of MenAfriVac in 2010 marked a significant milestone, leading to a dramatic decrease in meningitis cases, particularly the Group A strain. By 2017, the vaccine had effectively eliminated this form of the disease. However, other strains remained a concern, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to prequalify a new type of meningococcal vaccine in 2023 that offers broader protection against five major strains (A, C, W, Y, and X).

In April 2025, Nigeria became the first country to receive over one million doses of the new pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Men5CV) from the Gavi-funded global stockpile. This significant development was hailed as a major advancement in the fight against meningitis. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated that the new vaccine holds the potential to change the disease's trajectory and save many lives, bringing the world closer to eliminating meningitis by 2030.

Local health officials have observed a marked reduction in meningitis cases. Sanda Son Pukuma, a nurse at Garkida General Hospital, noted that the community has seen fewer cases each year, attributing this decline to increased awareness and vaccination. "We only experience a handful of cases these days," he said. Mishal Solomon, a Medical Record Officer at the same hospital, reflected on the past, where the facility recorded as many as 30 meningitis cases monthly. Now, that number has dwindled to three to five.

The vaccination campaign, supported by organizations such as Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF, has empowered communities like Garkida to combat meningitis effectively. Maryam Bello, an official from the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, emphasized the importance of continued vaccination efforts and public awareness campaigns to ensure that all children receive timely immunization against meningitis.

As Garkida looks to the future, the community stands as a testament to the power of vaccination and public health initiatives. With the introduction of Men5CV, there is hope for a meningitis-free future in Nigeria, marking a significant victory over a disease that once brought fear and sorrow to countless families. The journey from fear to freedom is a powerful narrative of resilience, community engagement, and global health collaboration, leaving a legacy of hope for future generations.