Sokoto confirms 600 meningitis cases, 41 dead

Health officials in Sokoto have clinically confirmed 600 cases of meningitis infection in Sokoto, and the number of dead now stands at 41. Sokoto health commissioner Balarabe Kakale said Sunday the cases occurred in the eight worst-hit local government areas of  Rabah, Kebbe, Tureta, Gada, Dange/Shuni, Wamakko, Kware and Bodinga. Eight out of 10 among […]

Health officials in Sokoto have clinically confirmed 600 cases of meningitis infection in Sokoto, and the number of dead now stands at 41.

Sokoto health commissioner Balarabe Kakale said Sunday the cases occurred in the eight worst-hit local government areas of  Rabah, Kebbe, Tureta, Gada, Dange/Shuni, Wamakko, Kware and Bodinga.

Eight out of 10 among those who died had not been immunised, which Kakale said aggravated the situation.

He noted epidemic was caused by the type C strain of meningitis and not the type A strain which the people of the state had hitherto developed immunity for.

The Commissioner described the new strain of meningitis as very deadly it kills within four to six hours of afflicting a patient.

He  said   over 700,000 people aged one to 30 years were being targeted for immunization across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Kakale called on the public to avoid self medication adding that  adequate drugs and medicament had been provided by the state government for the free treatment of patients.

He also stressed the need for people to report all suspected cases of meningitis, measles and other diseases to the nearest health facility and stop attributing it to witchcraft and other beliefs.

The Commissioner urged people to ensure that their children were fully immunized against the child killer diseases such as measles, whooping cough, yellow fever and diphtheria, among others.

He however said the cases had drastically reduced while some of the isolation camps had been closed in most of the local government areas.