I need you to be prepared to act quickly. There are signs of a major epidemic brewing in the meningitis belt of Africa. As part of our Emergency Pool of aid workers, you are on standby for just such a moment, and your work will likely begin within a week.
Right now, our exploratory team—one doctor, one logistician, one driver—is going from clinic to clinic, scouring the medical charts for records of suspicious deaths in recent days, for patients complaining of headaches, neck pain, or high fevers.
They’re dropping off antibiotics, syringes, and needles so that local staff can get to work right away if they suspect meningitis. They’re also taking lumbar punctures to identify new cases—and leaving behind lumbar puncture kits so that staff can continue to diagnose the disease on their own.
Bacterial meningitis can kill within 48 hours if untreated, so we are moving fast to evaluate whether we indeed have an epidemic on our hands.
And if this is meningococcal meningitis Type A—our response will have to be massive. This strain of meningitis is responsible for the big outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa and can spread from one community to the next at astonishing speed.
The really big epidemics come in regular cycles—every 7 to 10 years and the available vaccine only protects people for 2 to 3 years at a time. This year, we’re due for another major outbreak.
The last time we saw a massive outbreak, 70,000 people got sick all across the meningitis belt and 5,600 died. We vaccinated millions of people. If we act quickly now, we can help prevent another catastrophe.
MSF has released the expected budget from our emergency funds, in order to take actions against this expected outbreak. We need you, and the rest of the Emergency Response Team, to mobilize as soon as possible.
You’ll be hearing soon from HR about getting expedited visas and your necessary course of vaccines.
You should be on the ground within the week.