Meningitis Death Toll Hits 745 In Nigeria

Death toll in the ongoing epidemic of meningitis C climbed to 745 on Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said.That’s more than 300 additional deaths in the last two weeks.
Some 8,057 cases suspected to be meningitis have been reported across the country.Of the 8,057 cases, 7,519 have occurred in the five states that have reached outbreak levels for Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) serotype C–Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger, according to NCDC.The Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care convened a meeting of governors and traditional leaders from all northern Nigerian states with federal government and development partners in efforts to end the outbreak.Enhanced surveillance in several states in partnership with NCDC and partners has helped find and report more cases.The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) coordinated mass vaccination for 2-29-year-olds in Katsina and Zamfara, where the outbreak started.Similar vaccination is planned for Sokoto, while distribution of medicines continues.The NCDC’s emergency operations centre for meningitis leads national coordination of response to the outbreak.The incident manager, Dr John Oladejo, who heads the centre, said, “We are grateful to all Rapid Response Team members, including government agency and partner staff who have remained at their different field posts, through the Easter period working on this outbreak response and control.”NCDC chief executive officer Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said, “The NCDC will continue to engage proactively through all our channels of communication online and offline.“We will also continue to work with our health reporters and journalists across the country to ensure easy reporting of facts. We need all hands on deck,” he added.

Two Fresh Cases of Meningitis Recorded In Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board on Thursday said it had recorded two fresh cases of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in Abuja.The Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the two confirmed cases were in Abuja Municipal and Abaji Area Councils.Mohammed said that result from the laboratory test between Tuesday and Wednesday had shown that the two victims were infected with type C of CSM.He explained that one of the victims in Nuku village of Abaji area council came from Sokoto State where it was alleged that one person had died of meningitis.He added that another six-year-old child in Garki, Area 8, Abuja, was also confirmed at the Jabi Federal Medical Centre, Abuja.According to him, these were the only confirmed cases FCT had recorded so far since the outbreak, adding that there are 10 suspected cases in the past where six persons died.The scribe said that his agency had cordoned off the area where the two victims reside to immunise and sensitise residents against the disease.Mohammed therefore advised FCT residents to desist from self-medication and report to hospital when they notice any sign of CSM, which include fever and stiff neck or neck pain.He also enjoined residents to avoid crowded places especially this Easter season where people were travelling to villages for the celebration.He added that people must ensure ventilation in their homes and cultivate the habit of hand washing as well as covering of mouth while coughing or sneezing to avoid the spread of the disease.Mohammed said that immunisation against CSM would continue as soon as the agency receives additional vaccines from the Federal Government.

Pleateau State Confirms Three Cases Of Meningitis

The Plateau state commissioner for health, Dr. Kunden Deyin, on Monday said the State had confirmed three cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis.Deyin told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos, that the three cases manifested clinical symptoms of the disease and laboratory tests confirmed them to be cerebrospinal meningitis.He added, however, that the tests were yet to ascertain whether the cases were type ”A” or ”C”.Deyin recalled that Plateau last administered vaccines for CSM type ”A” in 2013, stressing that the vaccine was expected to last for 10 years in the individual’s system.The commissioner said the first suspected cases, reported from Lantang South and Mikang Local Government Areas, turned out to be false after laboratory tests.According to him, for a state to qualify for the type ”C” vaccines, it must have recorded three confirmed cases of the disease.”It means that Plateau has qualified, but accessing the vaccines for type ”C” is very difficult; currently the vaccines available worldwide are five million doses,” he said.

House of Reps Invites Health Minister Over Handling of Meningitis Outbreak

Nigeria’s House of Representatives on Thursday mandated its committee on Healthcare Services to invite the Minister of Health to ascertain the ministry’s handling of the recent outbreak of Meningitis in parts of the country.The resolution to invite Prof. Isaac Adewole followed the adoption of a motion entitled “Urgent Need to Curb the Scourge of Meningitis in Nigeria’’ sponsored by Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC).The committee was also mandated to ensure there was no scarcity of the vaccine to treat patients and report back to the house within two weeks.Moving the motion earlier, Oghuma had expressed sadness with the developing, saying that the disease was ravaging parts of the country unchecked.He said that the scourge had so far killed no fewer than 230 persons, with numerous others hospitalised.The lawmaker condoled with families of victims of the disease and said that the extent of the spread of the scourge would have been minimised if adequate proactive measures were taken.Oghuma said “the outbreak being an annual phenomenon, the Federal Ministry of Health ought to have been proactive to anticipate and put in plans to address it.“This ravaging scourge of meningitis may not be over unless measures are taken to curb the spread,’’ he added.

Meningitis Kills One Person, 23 Others Receiving Treatment In Cross River

One person has been confirmed dead following a case of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in Cross River while 23 others are currently receiving treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).Dr Inyang Asibong, the State Commissioner for Health, who visited the hospital on Wednesday, said that the disease had been on the increase in the state.Asibong said that the deceased, Master Paul Ogar, 12, was brought from Ogoja Local Government Area of the state with the disease which eventually led to his death.According to her, the ministry was doing its best to curb the outbreak, adding that Cross River was among the 16 states with the outbreak of CSM in Nigeria.
“Before now, we have actually been having sporadic cases of CSM, but it has been on the increase this year and this is not normal for Cross River.“We have set our state team in motion and the epidemiologists department is currently on top of the situation carrying out surveillance in all quarters.“Another notable thing is that these cases were mainly recorded in Ogoja and Yala Local Government areas of the stated.“We are working with the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure that we curb this outbreak and hoping that we get the vaccination for the symptoms,’’ the commissioner said.Asibong advised residents to increase their personal hygiene, especially washing of hands, avoiding overcrowded places and direct contact with people coughing or sneezing.“People living in overcrowded conditions, poorly ventilated houses and generally poor sanitary conditions are very vulnerable to respiratory infections and this encourages the growth and survival of the bacteria“Incubation periods for CSM vary from 2 to 10 days with symptoms such as but not limited to stiff neck, high fever, headache, vomiting, and confusion.“Early treatment can help prevent serious long-term consequences such as deafness, blindness, epileptic seizures and brain damage,’’ she said.She also urged residents to allow adequate ventilation into their houses, adding that anyone who noticed any of the symptoms should seek immediate medication from the hospital.

Meningitis Outbreak: Death Toll Hits 328 – Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole

The Federal Ministry of Health has said that 328 deaths associated with Meningitis have been recorded in the country since November 2016.The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by Mrs Boade Akinola, the Director, Media and Public Relations of the ministry.Adewole assured Nigerians that the ministry would curtail the outbreak of meningitis ravaging some states.“We have started working with the affected states on massive awareness and sensitisation, laboratory investigation and analysis, proper documentation and disease surveillance techniques.’’The minister added that ministry through the National Centre for Disease Control and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), had been of tremendous support to the affected states since the outbreak.He said the ministry was in constant discussion with World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, E-health Africa and other international health agencies for supplies of vaccines and injections.“Through our initiatives, we have secured 500,000 doses of the meningococcal vaccines from WHO which will be used in Zamfara and Katsina states with additional 800,000 units from the British government.“By next Tuesday, there will be a meeting with the International Review Group of the WHO, where the request for additional vaccines shall be approved, as part of practical and medically certified efforts to stem this ugly incidence.’’Adewole added that government was not relenting on the progress made, “as we have been assured of millions of vaccine doses through other notable and international donor agencies.’’According to him, Nigeria has always been bedevilled with the stereotype A meningitis in years past.“This new outbreak is from a suspected new strain of the bacterial disease, Meningitis Stereotype C, of which the vaccine is not commercially available in required quantities.“The vaccine can only be shipped into the country by WHO only, if laboratory investigation confirms the existence of the strain type C.“Government is advocating for prompt diagnosis and issued a directive to all federal medical facilities and PHCs to treat all cases of meningitis free of charge.’’The minister urged Nigerians especially residents of Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Zamfara and Jigawa states to seek early attention when discomforted with symptoms of Meningitis.He also advised Nigerians to avoid clogging together in unventilated and over-crowded rooms.