Meningitis Research Foundation joins taskforce to help defeat meningitis by 2030

• Despite huge progress, meningitis still affects more than 2.8 million people globally each year
• Collectively, meningitis and neonatal sepsis are the second biggest infectious killers of children aged under 5 globally.
• A new expert taskforce will help to shape a global roadmap towards defeating meningitis by 2030

On World Meningitis Day, Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) has announced it will join an expert taskforce to help develop a new global roadmap to defeat meningitis by 2030. 

MRF was asked to be part of the taskforce by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Additionally, other expert organisations have been invited to join, such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The taskforce has been created following a high-level meeting hosted by Wilton Park and organised by Meningitis Research Foundation in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The meeting galvanised experts, patient groups and representatives from countries most affected behind a call for global action.

​Marie-Pierre Preziosi, WHO Flagship Projects Lead, Initiative for Vaccine Research, said: “Major progress has been made in the global fight against meningitis in the past 20 years, but a coordinated effort is needed to save lives. The UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a drive for affordable vaccines and medicines for all and provide an opportunity to look forward to 2030 to set goals for meningitis. Meningitis Research Foundation has driven the call to action and we look forward to working with them on the new taskforce to develop a global roadmap to help defeat meningitis.”

Vinny Smith, Meningitis Research Foundation Chief Executive said: “Meningitis spreads around the world and we need global action to defeat it. Meningitis still affects more than 2.8 million people globally each year and collectively, meningitis and neonatal sepsis are the second biggest infectious killers of children aged under 5 globally.

“Despite major progress over the last 20 years, large epidemics have occurred recently showing again that meningitis is very far from being defeated. Between 2000 and 2016, child meningitis deaths fell by just 28 percent, compared to 89 percent for measles, 59 percent for AIDS, 84 percent for tetanus and 56 percent for diarrhoea. We need faster progress. This taskforce is the first step towards defeating meningitis for good.