Meningitis outbreak kills students in northern Nigeria

A meningitis outbreak has killed 20 students in northern Nigeria, local media reported Wednesday (Feb. 28).

The death toll which remains provisional was announced by the Yobe state Education commissioner.

The outbreak has been recorded in some secondary schools in the state.

Over a hundred cases have allegedly been reported with three patients said to still be in an intensive care unit responding to treatment.

Meningitis is an infection which causes an acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord. It can be life-threatening unless diagnosed and treated early.

Transmission is through direct person-to-person contact, including droplets from the nose and throat of infected people.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shared Wednesday (Feb. 28) on its X account (formerly twitter) a meningitis vigilance map.

Indeed, weather conditions can favour prevalence of meningitis.

Most of cases in the country are reported across states in the northern region.

According to the WHO, the west African nation reported 124 deaths from meningitis between 1 October 2022 and 16 April 2023.