Nigeria reported 287 confirmed cases of meningitis out of 2,707 suspected cases, including 183 deaths, for a case-fatality ratio of 6.8%. From October 20, 2022, to July 2, 2023, these occurrences were recorded from 130 Local Government Areas in 24 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.
This is according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s epidemiological report on the disease.
Meningitis is a potentially fatal infection of the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It is a terrible disease that continues to pose a serious public health challenge. The disease can be caused by a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but bacterial meningitis has the biggest global impact.
Meningitis can be caused by a variety of microorganisms. The most common are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis. N. meningitides, which causes meningococcal meningitis, is the most likely to cause significant epidemics.
Meningococcal meningitis is spread from person to person via droplets of respiratory and throat secretions, which are normally carried by asymptomatic carriers. Close, persistent contact with an infected individual, or living with a carrier, helps the disease spread. The average incubation period is four days, but it can range from two to ten days.
The suspected CSM cases were recorded in 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.
According to the study, “a total of 2,707 suspected cases, including 183 deaths, have been reported from 24 states in this 2022/2023 CSM season as of July 2. From the start of the outbreak, 667 samples (25%) were obtained from 2,707 suspected cases, and 298 were confirmed (45% positivity rate).”
“The age group of five to fourteen years old was the most affected.” Males accounted for 54% of all suspected cases. Jigawa (1508 instances), 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) accounted for 98% of all suspected 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, on the other hand, stated that it will continue to provide crucial response supplies to affected states.
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