No fewer than 34 persons have died while 254 others have been infected following a meningitis outbreak that has spread across nine local government areas of Sokoto State.
The State Commissioner for Health, Faruk Abubakar-Wurno, disclosed this on Wednesday, warning that the outbreak had affected several communities and triggered an emergency public health response by the government.
Abubakar-Wurno said a significant number of the deaths occurred in homes before victims could access medical care, attributing the situation to delayed treatment as some residents reportedly linked the illness to spiritual causes and other misconceptions.
According to him, isolation centres have been established in Dogondaji and Kurawa communities within Tambuwal and Sabon Birni respectively, to contain the spread of the disease.
He added that all 201 patients who received treatment in government health facilities had been successfully discharged.
The commissioner listed the affected LGAs and number of cases as Dange-Shuni (26), Kebbe (16), Shagari (51), Tambuwal (34), Wamakko (60), Sabon Birni (63), Bodinga (2), Kware (2), and Gada (1).
Providing updates on laboratory investigations, Abubakar-Wurno said samples had been sent for testing, with eight cases confirmed as meningitis, indicating active transmission within affected communities.
He noted that children between the ages of one and 15 were the most vulnerable group, adding that overcrowded living conditions and the prevailing hot, dry weather had significantly heightened the risk of transmission.
The commissioner said the state government had intensified surveillance through disease monitoring officers, scaled up laboratory capacity, and ensured the availability of medications to manage cases.
He also disclosed that aggressive public enlightenment campaigns were ongoing, urging residents to sleep in well-ventilated spaces or outdoors where possible, as a preventive measure against the disease, which thrives in extreme heat conditions.
The outbreak has raised fresh concerns over public health preparedness in northern Nigeria, where seasonal meningitis outbreaks remain a recurring challenge.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
