Ebun Francis || This is surely not the best news for Nigerian’s suffering from the ‘C’ type Meningitis as the Federal Government Monday said the ‘C’ strain meningitis currently breaking in the Country is “strange” and that the drugs required for its treatment are not available in Nigeria.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Chief Executive Officer/National Coordinator, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, made the disclosure when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Primary Health and Communicable Diseases in Abuja.
According to the NCDC boss, the outbreak started in the second week of December 2016 “and has been increasing since then.”
“It has now reached a total of 2,524 cases altogether, of which 131 have been confirmed to be bacterial meningitis and we have had 328 deaths”, he said.
He continued, “It is important to note that the five most affected states are Zamfara – which is the epicentre of this specific outbreak and where is started; Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger. These are where the burden of the disease are. We have, altogether, 16 states that have reported at least one case. But the five states are carrying the burden of the disease.
“What is of importance to note in this specific outbreak is that Nigeria has had a series of meningitis outbreaks in over the past 30 years. It comes in cycles and affects, mostly, what we call the Meningitis Belt, which goes across West Africa including northern Nigeria.
“However, three years ago, there was a broad, widespread vaccination campaign with a new vaccine – Meningitis ‘A’ vaccine – which wiped out the type of meningitis that used to come in the previous cycles. But what has happened (now) is really strange in Nigeria – Meningitis ‘C’. It is not new in the world but it is new in our context.
“Now, for Meningitis ‘C’, there is no commonly available vaccine. The situation here is that there is a limited stock of global vaccine available and we can’t access those drugs unless we have a proven outbreak.”
