Every year on April 24th World Meningitis Day marks the start of World Immunization Week. The focus of this year’s World Immunization Week is to “close the immunization gap”. About 1 in 5 children worldwide are not completely protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. Learn more by watching the video below.
World Meningitis Day helps bring awareness of meningitis and the importance of vaccination. Over 1.2 million people get meningitis each year, leading to 120,000 deaths. Although the symptoms of meningitis are similar to those of the flu, the consequences can be much worse. Around 1 in 10 patients affected by meningitis die and 1 in 5 are permanently disabled. Vaccines are available for many common types of meningitis so it is important to get vaccinated, especially if you are at high risk.
