A nonprofit dedicated to improving vaccination rates to eradicate meningococcal meningitis is brightening things up this World Meningitis Day.
Literally: Ahead of the observance on Oct. 5, the American Society for Meningitis Prevention has launched an “illumination campaign” bathing dozens of homes and landmarks in purple and blue lights to raise awareness for the disease.
According to the organization’s announcement Friday, a total of 55 locations spanning 37 states in the U.S. have signed on to light up in shades of blue or purple in honor of this year’s World Meningitis Day. A map on the ASMP’s website pinpoints each location, noting that purple lights will designate buildings, landmarks and bridges, while “advocate-led actions” will be awash in blue.
The organization is urging supporters to either visit a nearby site marked on the map or light up their own homes, then share the colorful lights on social media to help get the word out. Elsewhere, the ASMP has put together a set of graphics containing information about the unpredictability of meningitis and the importance of vaccination that can also be shared on social media.
“Meningitis is unpredictable—that’s why it’s so important to get protected. I lost my 19-year-old daughter 36 hours after her symptoms started,” Alicia Stillman, ASMP co-founder, said in the announcement. “Collaboration is key to preventing this devastating disease. It’s critical that we work together—families, healthcare providers, policymakers and communities—to protect our loved ones.”
Meningococcal meningitis is one of the most common forms of bacterial meningitis. It spreads rapidly through close personal contact and has a fatality rate of 10% to 15% even with prompt antibiotic treatment. The disease can be prevented, however, with vaccination among the five most common types of meningococcal bacteria, A-B-C-W-Y.
Pfizer is currently the only maker of a vaccine approved by the FDA to cover all five bacteria types while GSK and Sanofi are among those producing vaccines to protect against other combinations of one or some of the variants.
The ASMP’s push comes as the CDC has warned that cases of meningitis are on the rise in the U.S. According to the agency, 422 cases were reported in 2023, representing the highest annual figure since 2014. And the rate is still increasing: The CDC noted that as of March 25 of this year, 143 cases had already been reported in the U.S., compared to 81 at the same point last year.