Meningitis continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year and leaves many with lifelong disabilities. While effective vaccines, timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent many deaths and disabilities, countries continue to face challenges in strengthening surveillance, laboratory systems and coordinated national responses.
To support implementation of the Defeating Meningitis by 2030 roadmap , WHO recently convened regional workshops in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Cairo, Egypt, bringing together policymakers, public health leaders and technical experts to strengthen national meningitis programmes through peer learning and technical collaboration.
The workshops marked an important shift from developing global guidance to supporting country implementation. In Copenhagen, countries explored surveillance and laboratory systems strengthening to improve outbreak detection and generate the evidence needed to inform meningococcal vaccine policy. In Cairo, countries worked together to review and strengthen national meningitis plans, identify implementation priorities and agree on practical approaches to accelerate progress.
Regional Workshop in Cairo, Egypt
Despite differing epidemiological profiles and health-system capacities, countries identified many common priorities, including immunization programmes, strengthening surveillance and laboratory confirmation, updating national clinical guidelines building on new WHO meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care guidelines, improving care for people living with meningitis sequelae, and strengthening advocacy and community engagement.
Countries reviewed one another’s national plans, shared practical experiences and exchanged solutions to common challenges. Experiences from Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland provided valuable lessons for countries participating in these two workshops.
Regional workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark
Looking ahead, continued technical support, regular follow-up and regional collaboration will be essential to sustain momentum and translate plans into measurable impact. Proposed next steps include establishing regional communities of practice, providing targeted technical assistance and sharing practical tools and experiences to support implementation.
“The momentum we are seeing across countries is encouraging,” said Antoine Durupt, Coordinator of the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map at WHO. “When countries share knowledge, learn from one another and work together across WHO regions and partners, they build stronger meningitis programmes that save lives, reduce disability and bring us closer to the goal of defeating meningitis by 2030.”
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