Towards enhanced meningitis surveillance in Africa thanks to genomics

N'Djamena, April 24, 2025

The Chadian Ministry of Public Health, in partnership with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), is organizing a workshop in N'Djamena on April 24, 2025, to review the project entitled “Analyse situationnelle de la chaîne de valeur pour la surveillance génomique de la méningite au Tchad.”

This strategic meeting will bring together national and international public health experts, government representatives, researchers, laboratory technicians, private sector players and technical and financial partners. The main objective is to take stock of national capacities in genomic surveillance, identify existing gaps and propose a roadmap to strengthen the value chain from sample collection to the use of genomic data to guide public health decisions.

"Despite improvements in vaccine availability in recent years, bacterial meningitis and associated septicemia continue to cause heavy damage in Africa. With the support of Wellcome, the Meningitis Research Foundation and local partners, we conducted a study to analyze the situation at different levels of the value chain, in order to better understand the capabilities of whole genome sequencing for meningitis. The study was carried out in Chad and Nigeria, two countries in the African meningitis belt. The results of the study will be presented at this workshop," says Dr. Kanny Diallo, Associate Researcher at CSRS and principal investigator of the project. 

In the face of persistent epidemic threats, particularly in the African meningitis belt, this initiative marks a decisive step towards a more resilient, innovative surveillance system adapted to local contexts.