Bacterial meningitis, a global public health challenge, is notably prevalent in our region. This disease, particularly menacing for infants and young children, continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries have been facing endemic and epidemic outbreaks of meningococcal disease, yet there's a striking scarcity of published data in these regions. This gap hinders the formulation of evidence-based decisions crucial for implementing effective vaccine intervention strategies.

Recognizing this need, EMPHNET in collaboration with Sanofi has spearheaded the establishment of the Meningitis and Septicemia Mapping Network (MenMap). This regional network aims to bolster the understanding and management of vaccine-preventable Invasive Bacterial Diseases (IBD), especially those caused by pathogens like Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Hemophilus influenza type b (Hib). Operating across the Middle East, North Africa, and Eurasia region MenMap initiatives are multifaceted, encompassing research, surveillance, strengthening of laboratory diagnosis capacities, and public health policy advancement to prevent, control and treat bacterial meningitis and septicemia.

The initial phase of MenMap project focuses on enhancing the epidemiological surveillance of the IBD by strengthening the link between epidemiological and laboratory data through the application of real-time PCR for accurate IBD detection and subtyping. This foundational step sets the stage for a series of outcomes including determining N. meningitidis serogroups in confirmed cases of Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD), estimating serogroup specific IMD incidence, evaluating early antibiotic treatment impacts, documenting clinical IMD presentations, and detailing outcomes of confirmed cases in each participating country.

A significant milestone in this initiative was the recent hosting of sessions by the Disease Control and Prevention Unit of EMPHNET in Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, titled "Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance and Data Management Training." These sessions brought together physicians, public health officers, laboratory technicians and infection control officers from targeted hospitals and the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL). Their objective was to enrich participants' understanding of bacterial meningitis surveillance. They covered aspects ranging from case definition, clinical signs and symptoms, cases enrolment, specimen collection, handling, preservation, transportation and advanced laboratory detection techniques to the epidemiology, treatments, surveillance.

This initiative by EMPHNET and its partners exemplifies a comprehensive strategy to combat IBDs in the region. By uniting research, practical training, and policy development, MenMap is set to make significant strides in mitigating the impact of bacterial meningitis and enhancing public health outcomes in the region.