The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged policymakers, academic institutions, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and health workers to implement historic guidelines in tackling meningitis following their launch.
The launched guideline, released on Thursday, emphasized building capacity, informing national health plans, and shaping research agendas.
Being the first-ever global guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of meningitis, the health organization said the aim was to improve early detection and boost survival rates, as it is marked as a deadly disease globally.
The launched guideline is said to be a comprehensive, evidence-based framework aimed at providing solutions to reduce the death toll, especially among low- and middle-income countries with significant mortality rates.
Despite the provision of effective treatment and vaccines to fight against the disease, the mortality rate remains high yearly.
Bacterial meningitis can take the life of a patient within 24 hours if not properly handled and can even leave a patient with long-term disabilities.
In 2019 alone, about 2.5 million cases were reported globally, along with 1.6 million bacterial meningitis cases, leaving the death toll at 240,000.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, “Bacterial meningitis kills one in six of the people it strikes and leaves many others with lasting health challenges. Implementing these new guidelines will help save lives, improve long-term care for those affected by meningitis, and strengthen health systems.”
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The newly released guidelines aim to target the improvement of clinical trials for children over age one, adolescents, and adults affected by acute community-acquired meningitis.
The WHO updated guidelines aim to help health workers quickly diagnose and treat meningitis.
The guidelines cover diagnosis, use of antibiotics, supportive care, and how to manage the long-term effects of the disease.
Since meningitis symptoms often resemble other illnesses, early detection and treatment are vital.
The new WHO guide provides strategies for both bacterial and viral cases, especially in emergency rooms and outpatient clinics.
These new guidelines replace WHO’s 2014 protocols. They now include advice for both epidemic and non-epidemic situations, focusing on practical use in low-resource settings like Africa’s “meningitis belt,” where outbreaks are common.
The guide supports the WHO’s Defeating Meningitis by 2030 roadmap, adopted in 2020. The plan aims to stop bacterial meningitis outbreaks, reduce vaccine-preventable cases by 50%, cut deaths by 70%, and improve life for survivors.
WHO stressed that early diagnosis, access to vaccines, strong disease monitoring, and support for patients are all key to ending the global threat of meningitis.
