African meningitis belt

Lapeyssonnie noticed that the disease occurred in areas receiving 300–1,100 mm of mean annual rainfall, which is the case in sub-Saharan Africa.

[2] It consists of part of or all of (from West to East), the Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea.

Neisseria meningitidis is found in other parts of the world as well, but the highest rates occur in the “meningitis belt.” Meningococcal disease is persistently high in this region.

[6] Other factors contributing to the sustained transmission of meningococcal disease include dust, other respiratory viruses that co-circulate, as well as close social contact.

[7] Historically, 90% of outbreaks in the meningitis belt were primarily due to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A (NmA).