The overall aims of MenAfriCar are to establish a baseline of meningococcal carriage patterns across the meningitis belt of Africa before the introduction of a new meningococcal conjugate vaccine and to evaluate the effect of this vaccine on carriage.

The consortium’s objectives can be divided into three main areas:

1. Studying the pattern of meningococcal carriage in Africa
   Because most meningococcal infections lead to harmless colonisation of the pharynx and not to serious disease, a full understanding of the epidemiology of this infection requires studies of carriage as well as meningitis and septicaemia .  Members of the consortium will, therefore, study risk factors for carriage, rates of loss and acquisition of carriage, and changes in the pattern of carriage over time in seven countries within the African meningitis belt.
2. Studying the impact of vaccination on meningococcal carriage
   Researchers will study subjects in Mali and Niger to determine the impact of the new serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine on meningococcal carriage when the vaccine is introduced in these countries in 2010.
3. Capacity development
   The Consortium’s activities include training young African researchers, developing partnerships, and building capacity for serology and molecular biology in Africa. Click here for more information.