CERF allocates close to $1.3 million to control meningitis outbreak in Nigeria

Women getting trained about health risks in Nigeria  [Photo: UNICEF]

1 May 2009: Meningitis is a highly contagious and potentially deadly bacterial disease that is endemic to several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, the United Nations estimates that more than 105 million people live in the Nigerian states where the risk of meningitis is highest.

This year’s seasonal outbreak in Nigeria started earlier and has been more intense than last year, when the disease claimed nearly 500 lives. While Nigerian authorities, health officials and non-governmental organizations have been hard at work to minimize the toll of the outbreak, the resources available to them simply do not match the current needs. 

A World Health Organization (WHO) programme will focus on therefore combating the disease in Kano State, where more than 10 million people live and resources are especially scarce. In a week alone, Kano State saw a 50 percent increase in the number of reported cases of meningitis, bringing the total to more than 1,400.  The programme will target the highest risk segment of the population, those aged 2 to 30 years, in 41 of Kano’s wards.  The CERF funds will enable WHO to purchase enough vaccines and injection materials to cover more than 680,000 people, and to ensure that an effective campaign can be carried out.

[Last Update: 15 May 2009]