NCDC pledges support as meningitis kills 183

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NCDC pledges support as meningitis kills 183

Nigeria has reported a total of 287 confirmed cases out of 2,707 suspected cases of meningitis, including 183 deaths, with a case-fatality ratio of 6.8 per cent.

The cases were reported from 130 local government areas in 24 states, including the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria from October 2022 to July 2, 2023.

This is according to the epidemiology situation of the disease released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meningococcal meningitis is transmitted from person to another through droplets of respiratory and throat secretions, usually by asymptomatic carriers.

Close and prolonged contact with an infected person or living with a carrier facilitates the spread of the disease. The average incubation period is four days but can range between two and 10 days.

Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states reported the suspected CSM cases.

The report partly read, Äs of July 2, a total of 2,707 suspected cases, including 183 deaths have been reported from 24 states in this 2022/2023 CSM (cerebrospinal meningitis) season. A total of 667 samples collected (25 per cent) from 2,707 suspected cases from beginning of the outbreak, and 298 confirmed (45 per cent positivity rate).

“The five to 14-year-old age group was the most affected. 54 per cent of the total suspected cases were males, while 98 per cent of all suspected cases were from Jigawa (1,508 cases), Yobe (654 cases), Katsina (177 cases), Bauchi (123 cases), Zamfara (53 cases), Adamawa (45 cases), Gombe (26 cases), Kano (10 cases) and Sokoto (10 cases).

“Nineteen LGAs across five states, Jigawa (10), Katsina (4), Yobe (2), Bauchi (2) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 20 cases each this 2022/2023 CSM season.”

The NCDC, however, said it would continue to support affected states with essential response commodities.