Since the breakout of meningitis in Nigeria, over 8000 cases have been reported and unfortunately at least 745 Nigerians have lost their lives to the endemic.
Technical Assistant of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Lawal Bakare, claimed that to increase awareness of the outbreak and coordinate responses across states, the northern traditional rulers committee on primary health care met with the governors from the North which is currently suffering the highest casualty rates from the breakout which particularly hit Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi. Bakare further stated that
“As of April 17, 2017 (Monday), 8,057 suspected cases of meningitis had been reported across the country; 230 (3 per cent) were laboratory confirmed and a total of 745 deaths (9.2 per cent) have been recorded.”
He further went on to announce that “7,519 (93 per cent of cases) have occurred in the five states that have reached outbreak levels for CSM serotype C.”
Source: PUNCH