Costs of current and improved meningitis disease surveillance in Chad

Background Meningococcal meningitis has been a terrifying public health threat in countries of the Sahel and sub-Sahel over the past 100 years. This geographical area has been named the “African meningitis belt”. Older children and young adults are particularly at risk during epidemics. The mortality rate is usually 5% 10%. A serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine was licensed in 2009. Mass campaigns with MenAfriVac covering 1-29 years old have been conducted in several countries with assistance from the GAVI Alliance. Long term health impacts of MenAfriVac can only be determined if strong disease surveillance is in place. The study objective was to estimate the costs of meningitis surveillance in Chad and determine resources needed for implementing district case based surveillance.