Meningitis Vaccination Campaign Takes Off in Darfur
A child receives a meningitis vaccination at the Al Neem Camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in El Daein, East Darfur, Sudan.
A major vaccination campaign against meningitis A, organized by the Government of Sudan and the World Health Organization (WHO), debuted earlier this month and targets 16.9 million children and adults across Darfur. The vaccine protects young adults and children as young as one, conferring immunity that could last a decade. WHO estimates that their efforts could reduce cases of meningitis A between 80 and 85% and save nearly 150,000 young lives by 2015.