Nigerian Meningitis Outbreak: Death Toll Rises

Nigerian health officials have announced that the recent meningitis outbreak in the country has killed almost 500 people and that the death toll is expected to rise.

According to Health Minister, Isaac Adewole, said that there have been approximately 4637 confirmed cases of the disease throughout the country, and of that number, 489 cases have been fatal.

Most the the fatalities have been children.

There have been previous outbreaks of the disease in the country in recent years. In 2015, 1100 people in Nigeria and neighbouring Niger were killed by a meningitis outbreak. It was an outbreak that affected more than 10 000 people.

The latest outbreak started in December of last year and has steadily spread throughout different regions of the country.

The Zamfara state in the north of Nigeria has been hit the worst this time around. Of the 489 fatalities, 216 of them were recorded in this state.

Most of the northern and north central states have seen cases of the disease, including the Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi and Katsina states.

Despite the Nigerian government’s efforts in launching a national vaccination campaign that is aimed at reaching millions of Nigerians, there have been problems securing the vaccine as there is a worldwide shortage for the specific strain.

While there have been no confirmed cases in neighbouring countries, there are fears that the disease might spread across borders, specifically to Niger.