Summary: May 10, 2001 : Commission provides €2.5 million in humanitarian aid to fight meningitis in Ethiopia (Brussels)
The European Commission has agreed to provide €2.5 million to help contain the spread of meningitis in Ethiopia. The funds, channeled by the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) through partner organizations, will be used for a mass vaccination campaign and to provide treatment of those who have fallen victim to the disease. This makes the Commission the most important donor in the response to the epidemic.
During January and February 2001, abnormally high levels of meningitis were recorded across much of Ethiopia. Epidemiologists reported a potentially devastating situation, with a very high death toll predicted in the absence of effective intervention. The funds will be used to support the efforts of ECHO's partners in the field, the Belgian, French and Dutch sections of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Red Cross and other key players involved in the emergency response. The effectiveness of
their intervention is confirmed by recent data suggesting that the situation is being brought under control. There has been no further increase in the number of new cases reported on a weekly basis.
Major outbreaks of meningitis tend to occur in twelve year cycles. Ethiopia's last epidemic was in 1989 when 1650 deaths were recorded. In the latest outbreak which, so far, has affected 93 districts of the country, the incidence of the disease has reached 170 per 100,000 people in some areas, greatly exceeding the 15 per 100,000 per week threshold used for determining the existence of an epidemic. Tests have also indicated the presence of serotype-A, which is the most virulent strain of
meningitis.
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