Meningitis Health Communications: Examining channels, messaging and best practice in the African Meningitis Belt

Cover page has a photo of women in a Health care facility
Daylin Paul

About

Bacterial meningitis is the deadliest form of meningitis, with the World Health Organization estimating that around 1 in 6 people who get it will die. The impact is particularly severe on young children, who make up half of global meningitis related deaths. This toll is unacceptable, especially when effective vaccine options are available. Beyond the staggering human toll, the economic costs are
also profound. Responding to the urgency of the situation, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners collaborated on the development of the Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030. 

Recognizing the need for more focused communications initiatives, UNICEF and Meningitis Research Foundation collaborated on a comprehensive landscape analysis of advocacy, communications and engagement initiatives in the Meningitis Belt, a region at high risk in sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis aimed to identify best practices and areas requiring further attention. Findings from this landscape analysis emphasize the need for a framework to set out clear and effective communications messages for stronger approaches to communications with individuals, families, community leaders and policymakers. We see from this analysis that the overall understanding of meningitis symptoms and prevention is low amongst the general population.

Author(s)
UNICEF and the Meningitis Research Foundation

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