The Advisory committee was established to provide support and advice to the scientists undertaking a large study of meningococcal carriage in Africa which is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

The committee has between 6-8 members at any one time and staff of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust will be invited to act as observers.  The committee will meet face to face once every 12-18 months at the time of the annual general meeting of the consortium and every 3-6 months by telecon.

Terms of reference for the committee include:

• Ensuring that the project is conducted within the overall guidelines set out in the proposals approved by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.

• Ensuring equitable distribution of resources between partners along the lines set out in the proposals.

• Providing scientific advice to the members of the consortium on the way in which the work programme is conducted.

• Acting as a link between the consortium and other groups interested in the control of meningococcal disease in Africa.

• Acting as advocates for the consortium.

Current membership

Professor Fred Binka, University of Health and Allied sciences, Ghana

Dr Mamodou Djingarey, WHO Multi‐Diseases Surveillance Centre (MDSC), Burkina Faso

Prof Robert Heyderman, Wellcome Trust Liverpool Malawi Programme, Malawi

Dr Marie‐Pierre Preziosi, Meningitis Vaccine Project, France

Prof David Stephens, Emory University School of Medicine,USA

Prof Marcel Tanner, Swiss Tropical Institute,  Switzerland