The Meningococcal Antibody Study aims to understand immunity levels against Meningococcal bacteria serogroups A and X in Ethiopia. This study focuses on two regions, two HDDS sites; Gilgal Gibe and Kersa, to track how immunity evolves over time, particularly post-vaccination campaigns. By determining the duration of vaccine protection and consequences of non-vaccination, the study aims to predict future meningitis outbreaks and inform vaccination strategies.

Involving 2,000 randomly selected residents of all age groups, employing cross-sectional survey, participants provide oropharyngeal swabs for meningococcal carriage detection and blood samples for serological analysis. The research calculates the prevalence of oropharyngeal carriage, identifies risk factors using Binomial regression, and measures IgG antibody concentrations against MenA polysaccharides. Age-specific immunity profiles are simulated over time, and a reverse catalytic model estimates population-level and age-specific immunities, predicting the risk of meningococcal outbreaks.

These insights will guide effective public health strategies, including the potential introduction of conjugate Meningococcal vaccines in Ethiopia. By triangulating this evidence, the study aims to propose an optimal vaccine policy to enhance meningococcal disease prevention efforts in the country.