Meningitis Kills 118 in 22 States

Cerebrospinal meningitis has killed at least 118 persons in 22 states across 79 local government areas in the country.

This is according to the data from October 2022 to April 2, 2023, released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention released on Saturday.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, a thin layer of the connective tissue that covers the brain and the spinal cord. The inflammation can be caused by a variety of organisms – bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi.

CSM remains a priority disease and an ever-present public health threat in several countries worldwide with frequent epidemics that present a challenge for people, health systems, economies, and societies.

The NCDC said 235 confirmed cases and 1,479 suspected cases have been recorded so far during the period under review.

The Case Fatality Ratio stands at 9.3 per cent.

The 22 states reporting cases are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

“As of April 2, 2023, a total of 1,479 suspected cases including 118 deaths (CFR 9.3 per cent) reported from 22 states in 2022/2023 CSM seasons.

“A total of 512 samples collected, 235 confirmed with 46 per cent positivity rate since the beginning of the CSM seasons 2022/2023,” the report read in part.

The age group most affected is five to 14. Males were 57 per cent and females were 43 per cent.

“Ninety-three per cent of all cumulative cases were from five states – Jigawa (1,064 cases), Yobe (234 cases), Zamfara (36 cases), Bauchi (23 cases), and Adamawa (21 cases).

“Fourteen LGAs across four states, Jigawa (8), Yobe (4), Bauchi (1) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 10 cases each this CSM season 2022/2023,” the report added.

The centre said its national multi-sectoral technical working group is coordinating response activities in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the   Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and development partners.