CU meningitis
17 Dec 2001

Granma Intl. - Havana - With the upcoming first trials in Belgium of the meningitis B vaccine obtained at the Carlos J. Finlay Institute, that patented Cuban drug will be available to the developed world. This is the result of a joint marketing agreement signed with the U.S.-British company SmithKline Beecham. "It's a great challenge, which has cost much effort and dedication and the testing is now well advanced," Finlay Institute Director Dr. Concepción Campa informed Granma International. Dr. Campa developed the vaccine with Dr. Gustavo Sierra. Because the testing laboratories in Belgium are the property of a U.S. subsidiary, the license to establish that commercial agreement was approved by the U.S. Treasury Department. Prior to the agreement, sources from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had been saying since 1998 that if the Cuban meningitis vaccine were adequately developed and marketed, it could prevent thousand of cases annually in its own country. The meningitis B vaccine is part of the island's national health program; mass immunization began in 1989. All Cuban children are administered two doses before reaching six months of age. Millions of doses have been successfully administered in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Columbia. Uruguayan Health Minister Luis Fraschini recently confirmed that his country plans to utilize the Cuban meningitis vaccine, initially rejected by the authorities and now demanded by the population. The Uruguayan government has decided to immunize all Uruguayans ages four to 19 living in the department of Canelones, near Montevideo. It's estimated that 50,000 people die annually from this disease worldwide. The vaccine, patented in Cuba, is the only effective treatment against this strain of meningitis. "In the next weeks, we are testing for a vaccine against typhoid fever. One already exists, but we have developed a purer form with fewer adverse side effects," announced Dr. Campa, who also is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba. One of the macro-projects in various scientific centers is the diagnosis and prevention of dengue fever, Dr. Campa added. Different types of vaccines are being developed by the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine, the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center, and other scientific institutions in the scientific complex west of the capital. Dr. Campa noted that they have been trying for many years to develop a vaccine for dengue, but given the diverse strains and types of the disease, are facing a difficult challenge. However, there are distinct approaches to these complications