Nigerian State Winning War Against COVID, but Is Losing its Children to Meningitis

In Jigawa, a northern state in Nigeria, 5 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the third-best rate among Nigeria's states. But despite the impressive turnout for the COVID vaccination, the state is battling meningitis, which is killing its children and some adults.

Meningitis outbreaks are cyclical in Nigeria and they are deadly. Is it because there's a chronic shortage of meningitis vaccines in Nigeria? Are vaccines difficult to import? Are parents afraid to vaccinate their children? Have public health vaccination efforts focused on COVID-19 heavily and thus not on meningitis, which targets children disproportionately?

This project investigates what the government is doing or failing to do about these chronic outbreaks.