The Nigerian government has issued a warning to its citizens about the outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis, revealing that the disease resulted in the death of 190 people in 2023.
Meningitis involves inflammation of the fluid and three membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The government emphasized the necessity of the warning, noting that the disease tends to be more prevalent during the dry season, characterized by dust, winds, and cold nights.
The Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ifedayo Adetufa, revealed that Nigeria recorded 2,765 suspected and 303 confirmed meningitis cases with 190 deaths across 140 local government areas in 30 states, including the Federal Capital Territory in its 2022/2023 statistics.
The NCDC boss said the highest burden of CSM in Nigeria occurs in the “Meningitis Belt,” which includes all the 19 states in the North, the FCT, and some southern states, such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun.
Adetufa, in a public health advisor issued on Thursday, explained that despite significant progress in vaccination over the last few years, CSM remains a priority disease and an ever-present public health threat in Nigeria.
He said its annual outbreaks in high-burden states pose a challenge to people, health systems, economies, and communities.
Adetufa reassured Nigerians that the government is actively engaged in preventing, detecting, and responding to cases of cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM).
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in collaboration with various entities through the CSM Technical Working Group (CSM TWG), has implemented several measures to enhance coordination, collaboration, and communication for an effective response nationwide.
These measures include alerting state governments and health authorities about the increased risk of a CSM outbreak, resource mobilization for preparedness and response activities, routine meetings of the national multi-sectoral CSM TWG, and regular communication with high-burden states to assess their status, progress, and challenges.
Adetufa stressed the importance of vaccination, avoiding close contact with confirmed cases, refraining from smoking and overcrowding, and practicing proper respiratory hygiene to mitigate the spread of the disease.
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