Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord usually causes the inflammation. Meningitis can be a deadly and debilitating disease; it comes on suddenly, carries serious health, economic and social consequences, and affects people of all ages and in all countries of the world.
Bacterial meningitis can cause epidemics, result in death within 24 hours and leave one in five people affected, permanently disabled after infection. An estimated 5 million new cases and 290 000 deaths from meningitis in all ages were reported worldwide in 2017.
Many cases of meningitis and related deaths are vaccine-preventable, but progress in defeating meningitis lags other vaccine-preventable diseases.
In 2017, representatives from governments, global health agencies, public health bodies, academia, the private sector, and civil society called for a global vision to end meningitis as a public health threat. WHO responded to this call to action and, together with global partners and experts dedicated to meningitis prevention and control, developed a roadmap aimed at defeating meningitis by 2030.
PAHO has adapted the global roadmap to defeat meningitis by 2030 for the Region of the Americas and plans to officially launch it with this expert discussion "Defeating Meningitis by 2030".
Day: 28 sept. 2021
Time: 1:30 p.m. (WDC time)
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