PFV and GSK Call for Stronger Action to Defeat Meningitis in the Philippines 

The Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV), together with GSK Philippines, marked World Meningitis Day 2025 by calling for swift, coordinated action to align the country with global efforts to defeat the disease. Both organizations used the observance to advance prevention through education and reinforce the call for earlier diagnosis and stronger survivor support.

This year’s observance comes as the world reaches the halfway point of the World Health Organization’s Global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030⁵. Meningitis remains one of the most rapidly progressive and devastating infectious, capable of claiming lives in less than 24 hours.⁵ Survivors often face lifelong complications, including hearing loss, seizures, or developmental delays.^, 

According to the Meningitis Progress Tracker, the Philippines ranks 32nd out of 194 countries in meningitis cases globally, and 2nd out of 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This burden falls heaviest on the youngest age groups. Nearly 40 percent of global meningitis deaths occur in children under five,⁹ underscoring the urgent need to protect children during their earliest years.. PFV, a non-government organization recognized for advancing evidence-based immunization for life-course protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, stressed that meningitis must be addressed across all ages, while underscoring that the First 1,000 Days of life⁹ remain the most critical window.

“The Philippines ranks among the highest in meningitis incidence both globally and regionally. The burden remains high, and our response must change and improve. We continue to see delayed diagnosis, underreporting, and gaps in survivor care. If we are to meet the Roadmap targets, we need stronger surveillance, faster referral pathways, and better long-term support for children and families affected by meningitis,” said Dr. Lulu Bravo, Executive Director of PFV and Pediatric Infectious Disease Expert.

“Meningitis can be devastating.⁵ No one should endure its lifelong impact on patients,³ their families,⁶ and even their communities.⁸ The First 1,000 Days of life determine how a child’s brain, immunity, and development take shape, and when meningitis strikes in this window, the consequences are often irreversible. Protecting children during this period is not optional, it is our responsibility,” said Dr. Rose Capeding, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist and PFV President.

GSK Philippines emphasized the need for system-wide approaches in tackling meningitis. 

“Meningitis cannot be solved by science alone. It requires systems that detect early, health programs that reach the most vulnerable, and partnerships that connect global goals to local realities,”¹⁰ said Dr. Gio Barangan, GSK Philippines Country Medical Director. 

GSK is a focused biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

As part of the observance, PFV and GSK joined the “Light the Road Ahead” ceremony, a global chain of light honoring those who have lost their lives to meningitis, and survivors who continue to live with its impact.

“Meningitis kills within hours,¹ and for survivors, the impact can last a lifetime.³ For every family and every community touched by this disease, there must also be hope and light,” said Dr. Rose Capeding of PFV. “As we light the road ahead, we commit to ending epidemics, reducing disability, and saving lives.⁶ PFV is committed to ensuring that no child’s future is left in the dark.”

Looking ahead, PFV will build on this commitment by co-leading with the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) and the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) a national coalition on meningitis. Supported by CoMO’s World Meningitis Day Advocacy Fund 2025, the coalition will drive an push on policy, awareness, and community mobilization. Planned initiatives include a proposed congressional resolution declaring every October 5th as Philippine Meningitis Day, alongside a survivor-led campaign and advocacy toolkit to sustain momentum.

With lights raised, World Meningitis Day 2025 closed as both a moment of unity and a call to accelerate progress so that by 2030, no Filipino child or family will have to face meningitis alone.

¹ Thompson, M. J., Ninis, N., Perera, R., Mayon-White, R., Phillips, C., Bailey, L., Harnden, A., Mant, D., & Levin, M. (2006). Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease in children and adolescents. Lancet (London, England), 367(9508), 397–403. Retrieved from: Retrieved from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(06)67932-4/abstract

² World Health Organization. (n.d.-p). Meningococcal vaccines: Who position paper – November 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WER8647²World Health Organization. (n.d.-p). Meningococcal vaccines: Who position paper – November 2011. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WER8647

³ Viner, R. M., Booy, R., Johnson, H., Edmunds, W. J., Hudson, L., Bedford, H., Kaczmarski, E., Rajput, K., Ramsay, M., & Christie, D. (2012). Outcomes of invasive meningococcal serogroup B disease in children and adolescents (MOSAIC): a case-control study. The Lancet. Neurology, 11(9), 774–783. Retrieved from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(12)70180-1/abstract

⁴Meningitis Research Foundation. (n.d.). My Country — Philippines. Meningitis Progress Tracker. Retrieved 23 September 2025 from https://tracker.meningitis.org/my-country/?country=PHL

⁵ What is PFV?. Philippine Foundation for Vaccination. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.philvaccine.org/home/what-is-pfv

⁶ Meningitis Research Foundation. (n.d.). My Country — Philippines. Meningitis Progress Tracker. Retrieved 23 September 2025 from https://tracker.meningitis.org/my-country/?country=PHL

First 1000 days. UNICEF. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/media/551/file/ZAF-First-1000-days-brief-2017.pdf

GSK is not responsible for the third-party links.