An operational manual Developing nationalmeningitis plans Developing national meningitis plans: An operational manual ISBN 978-92-4-009428-4 (electronic version)ISBN 978-92-4-009429-1 (print version) © World Health Organization 2024 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided the work is appropriately cited, as indicated below. In any use ofthis work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. If you adapt the work, then you mustlicense your work under the same or equivalent Creative Commons licence. If you create a translation of this work, you should add the following disclaimer along with the suggested citation: Any mediation relating to disputes arising under the licence shall be conducted in accordance with the mediation rules of the World Intellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/mediation/rules/). Suggested citation.Developing national meningitis plans: an operational manual. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP) data.CIP data are available at https://iris.who.int/. Sales, rights and licensing.To purchase WHO publications, see https://www.who.int/publications/book-orders. To submit requests for commercial use and queries on rights and licensing,see https://www.who.int/copyright. Third-party materials.If you wish to reuse material from this work that is attributed to a third party, such as tables, figures or images, it is your responsibility to determine whetherpermission is needed for that reuse and to obtain permission from the copyright holder. The risk of claims resulting from infringement of any third-party-owned component in the work rests General disclaimers.The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHOconcerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent All reasonable precautions have been taken by WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of anykind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use. Design and layout:Rooftop, Gqeberha, South Africa. Acknowledgements Abbreviations and acronyms 1. Introduction 1.1 The Defeating Meningitis by 2030 global road map1.2 National plans to defeat meningitis 2. Development of national plans: process and core principles 2.1 A country-led process2.2 Plan development stages2.3 Think beyond meningitis!2.4 Build on the existing foundations 3. Preparation phase 4. Activity planning phase ObjectivesAreas of interventionActivities Objectives19Areas of intervention19Activities20 4.3 Disease surveillance (Pillar 3) 26 Objectives26Areas of intervention26Activities27 5. Roll-out mechanisms The manual is based on the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map, approved by the World Health Assembly (resolution WHA73.9). The milestones andkey activities outlined in the road map that are relevant at national levels have been translated into suggested activities to be incorporated into national plans. Through an iterative process, the manual has been developed by the core-secretariat of the Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map at the World HealthOrganization (WHO) headquarters, that includes colleagues across WHO, from the Immunization, Vaccine and Biological department within the Universal Health Draft versions of this manual were piloted by countries from the African Region during two workshops in November 2022 and June 2023. The feedback providedwas invaluable in enhancing the content. Experts from WHO Country and Regional offices, as well as external experts and partners who provided inputs and Abbreviations and acronyms PHCprimary health careRDTrapid diagnostic testSORMASSurveillance Outbreak Response Management &Analysis SystemSpnStreptococcus pneumoniaeUHCUniversal Health CoverageWHOWorld Health Organization 1. Introduction The road map sets out a comprehensive strategy to address the primary causesof acute bacterial meningitis through three visionary goals: 1.1 The Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map Meningitis is a life-threatening and debilitating condition that can affectindividuals of all ages across the globe. Its impact extends beyond theaffected individuals themselves, reaching their