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This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2005.075085v1 97/Supplement_1/S15    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nelson, C. B. Articles by Tarantola, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nelson, C. B. Articles by Tarantola, D.

Christopher B. Nelson, PhD, MPH, Maureen Birmingham, DVM, MPH, Alejandro Costa, MSc, Joelle Daviaud, PhD, DEA, PharmD, William Perea, MD, MPH, Marie-Paule Kieny, PhD and Daniel Tarantola, MD

At the time this work was completed, Christopher B. Nelson, Maureen Birmingham, Alejandro Costa, Joelle Daviaud, and Daniel Tarantola were with the Department of Immunizations, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. William Perea is with the Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response, World Health Organization, Geneva. Marie-Paule Kieny is with the Initiative for Vaccine Research, World Health Organization, Geneva.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Christopher B. Nelson, WP97A–277, 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486-0004 (e-mail: christopher_nelson{at}merck.com).

With the emergence of epidemic Neisseria meningitidis W135 meningitis in Burkina Faso during early 2002, the public health community was faced with the challenge of providing access to an appropriate and affordable vaccine in time for the upcoming 2003 epidemic season.

Recognizing the implications of the emergent threat, the World Health Organization developed a strategy, established a public–private partnership to provide the needed vaccine, and then ensured that a stockpile was available for future use.

The trivalent N meningitidis ACW135 polysaccharide vaccine that resulted is now one of the primary tools for epidemic response in African meningitis belt countries. It will remain so for the foreseeable future and until appropriate and affordable conjugate vaccines become part of national immunization programs in the region.