Let’s fly the Meningitis Flag!
With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opening in exactly one year, Sanofi is committed to not just supporting the event itself, but also supporting programs that will continue well beyond the Games by leaving a positive legacy for society. That’s why we’ve teamed up with several para-athletes: Ellie Challis, Théo Curin and Davide Morana; the Meningitis Research Foundation; and the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO) to co-create a unique, global visual symbol in the fight against meningitis: The Meningitis Flag. Similar to what the pink ribbon has done for breast cancer awareness, the Meningitis Flag is a symbol of determination, to unite the world in the fight against this disease.
Despite major progress over the last 20 years, meningitis still affects more than 2.5 million people globally each year1 despite being largely preventable through vaccination. Bacterial meningitis is a serious and unpredictable infection that progresses extremely rapidly. It can take a life in less than 24 hours and kill one in ten.1,2 20% of patients who survive meningitis suffer serious and lasting after-effects, including brain damage or amputations.1 Around half of all meningitis-related deaths are children under 5, but it can affect anyone at any age.3
The unique design of the flag represents the individual, their support system, and the collective community’s drive to defeat meningitis. Watch Laura’s Spring interview, flag’s designer.
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Sanofi, Meningitis Research Foundation, and the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations ignite a global awareness initiative against meningitis with launch of The Meningitis Flag
The Meningitis Flag
Meningococcal meningitis
References
- World Health Assembly endorses the 1st ever resolution on meningitis prevention and control. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/13-01-2021-world-health-assembly-endorses-the-1st-ever-resolution-on-meningitis-prevention-and-control [Accessed August 2023]
- WHO. Meningococcal meningitis. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/meningococcal-meningitis [Accessed August 2023]
- WHO. Defeating meningitis by 2030: a global road map, 2021. Available at https://www.who.int/initiatives/defeating-meningitis-by-2030 [Accessed August 2023]
- Cohen R et al,. Pediatric Infectious Disease Group (GPIP) position paper on the immune debt of the COVID-19 pandemic in childhood, how can we fill the immunity gap? Infect Dis Now. 2021 Aug;51(5):418-423. doi: 10.1016/j.idnow.2021.05.004.