Yesterday, the World Health Organisation launched its global strategy to defeat meningitis by 2030.
Group B Strep Support has contributed to this strategy over the last few years, and is delighted that one of the main causes of meningitis it focuses on is group B Strep.
Globally, group B Strep is one of the top four major causes of bacterial meningitis in newborns. It infects at least 320,000 babies aged 0-90 days each year worldwide.
The WHO’s strategy calls for the creation of global guidelines on group B Strep prevention by 2025, and the introduction of a GBS vaccine by 2030.
This new Roadmap will keep group B Strep on the international agenda, and focus minds on the ongoing development of a group B Strep vaccine.
“Wherever it occurs, meningitis can be deadly and debilitating; it strikes quickly, has serious health, economic and social consequences, and causes devastating outbreaks. It is time to tackle meningitis globally once and for all –by urgently expanding access to existing tools like vaccines, spearheading new research and innovation to prevent, detecting and treating the various causes of the disease, and improving rehabilitation for those affected.”
DR TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL
