Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that 151 lives have been lost to the ongoing meningitis outbreak, with 1,826 suspected cases recorded across 23 states.
This marks a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 8.3%. The majority of these cases—about 94%—are concentrated in ten states, including Kebbi, Katsina, Jigawa, and Yobe.
The outbreak has triggered alarm, especially in states like Kebbi, which alone reported 881 suspected cases.
Seventeen Local Government Areas (LGAs) across nine states have reported more than ten suspected cases each.
The most affected LGAs include Gwandu (313), Tambuwal (155), and Aleiro (143). During Epidemiological Week 12, 315 new suspected cases emerged from Kebbi, Sokoto, and Yobe states.
Of these, 38 tested positive for meningitis pathogens, predominantly Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and W. Fourteen deaths were recorded during the week, resulting in a weekly CFR of 4.4%.
In response to the surge, the NCDC highlighted that four LGAs—Gwandu, Aleiro, Jega, and Tambuwal—have crossed the epidemic threshold, prompting intensified containment measures.
Encouragingly, there was a 65% decline in suspected cases compared to the previous week. Cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM), primarily caused by bacterial infections like Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, remains a serious public health threat, especially in the dry season when transmission tends to spike.
