Serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine coverage after the first national mass immunization campaign-Burkina Faso, 2011.

In December 2010, Burkina Faso became the first country to introduce PsA-TT (MenAfriVac), a new serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine developed to eliminate epidemic meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa, via a national mass-immunization campaign. This campaign targeted persons aged 1-29 years, approximately 70% of the 16 million residents of the country. More than 11 million vaccine doses were administered in a 10-day period, for an estimated administrative coverage of 102.6%. Accurate vaccination coverage estimates are critical for programmatic evaluation, identification of undervaccinated subpopulations, and for measurement of the impact of PsA-TT on serogroup A disease and carriage. In December 2011, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health, in collaboration with CDC, conducted a stratified cluster survey to obtain regional and age-group-specific vaccination coverage estimates among campaign-eligible persons. National coverage was 95.9% (74.3% with vaccination card, 21.6% by recall), and coverage in the 13 regions of Burkina Faso ranged from 90.8% to 98.3%. Coverage was 97.0% in children aged 2-5 years, 97.4% in those aged 6-15 years, and 93.4% in those aged 16-30 years. The results of this survey demonstrate successful introduction of a new vaccine in Burkina Faso through a mass immunization campaign, the first step in a strategy aimed at rapidly interrupting transmission and carriage of serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis before introduction of the vaccine into national routine immunization programs. With phased introduction of PsA-TT planned through 2016 in Africa's "meningitis belt," lessons learned from the Burkina Faso experience will help guide successful introduction of serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine elsewhere.