A Look Back

At the beginning of our project and research, back in the day before our green light approval, we developed an essential question. It went something like this:

What social, economic, or environmental factors cause the sub-Saharan African "Meningitis Belt" to have large epidemics of Meningitis which rarely occur in first-world countries?

After days of hard labor and blogging, can I answer my own question? Well, yes. I believe I can.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the funding for medical treatment and meningitis prevention is not available. People do not have easy access to vaccination, and cannot pay for it. Once infected with meningitis, it is more difficult to recieve treatment in the Meningitis Belt than in wealthy nations. People live in less sanitary conditions and in closer contact with one another. The Meningitis Belt's dry weather and dust storms weaken immune systems, making the disease even more easily spread.

That is my short and not-so-sweet answer to our Essential Question. For more information, read the blog.