Nigeria to launch
meningitis jab campaign as death toll jumps to 336
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[April 05, 2017] LAGOS
(Reuters) - Nigeria is launching a mass vaccination campaign as part of
its emergency response to an outbreak of meningitis in its northwestern
states, as the death toll climbed to 336, the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control said on Tuesday.
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The number of suspected cases has hit 2,997, over 1,000 more than at
the beginning of last week, when 269 people had died, the center
said.
If unchecked, the surge in infections could raise the prospect of a
repeat of 2009, when more than 2,000 Nigerians died from the
disease. Basic healthcare is limited in rural parts of the country,
where most people live on less than $2 a day, despite the country's
huge oil resources.
The emergency response includes vaccination campaigns across the
affected states, beginning on Wednesday, the center said.
"The team will also deploy and coordinate a robust national
communication and social mobilization campaign, focused on
(meningitis) prevention and control in rural and urban areas of
affected states," the center said.
The most affected states are Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and
Sokoto, while the worst-hit population group is children aged five
to 14, it said.
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(Meningitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain and
spinal cord which can be caused by viral or bacterial infections. It
spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs and in close living
quarters.
Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by
Alison Williams)
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