The Yaounde Declaration was signed by the ministers on the fourth day of the five-day 58th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa. Under the document, health authorities in 25 countries composing the "meningitis belt" in Africa will introduce the new meningococcal A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac) from 2009 to 2015 to control the brain disease epidemic in the region.
The immunization drive initially worth $55 million will cover 250 million people aged one to 29 and 23 million infants.
MenAfriVac costs only 40 cents per dose and is more effective than existing meningitis vaccines. It was developed by the WHO and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, a non-governmental organization. The project was set up in 2001 with core funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
