West Africa: Nigeria, Niger Hardest Hit By 2009 Meningitis Epidemic

[Treyfish]

West Africa: Nigeria, Niger Hardest Hit By 2009 Meningitis Epidemic - UN Health Agency

27 March 2009

• A vast majority of the nearly 25,000 suspected meningitis cases and more than 15,000 deaths worldwide in the first three months of 2009 have occurred in the so-called "African meningitis belt," hitting Nigeria and Niger the hardest, the United Nations health agency has reported.
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  The bulk of the cases in the meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal to Somalia, has been in northern Nigeria, reporting 17,462 suspected cases and 960 deaths, and Niger, with 4,513 suspected cases and 169 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
  
  Vaccination campaigns are underway in the two countries, with the support of WHO, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the non-governmental organization M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF).
  
  
  WHO, which is supporting the Nigerian Health Ministry's efforts to boost disease surveillance, has had technical experts on the ground since last month.
  Along with its partners, WHO has released 2.3 million doses of vaccines to Nigeria and 1.9 million to Niger. Nearly 13 million doses were stockpiled for 2009, but more are needed for this meningitis season which will run from January through June.:tiphat:

 

[Shiloh]

Re: West Africa: Nigeria, Niger Hardest Hit By 2009 Meningitis Epidemic

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNewsMolt/idUKTRE53H1VW20090418?sp=true

West, Central African meningitis toll over 2,500
Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:14pm BST

DAKAR (Reuters) - Meningitis has killed more than 2,500 people this year in West and Central Africa in what could become the worst epidemic for five years, UNICEF said.

Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Infection rates in Africa rise during the dry and hot period from January to May and the "meningitis belt" stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia is especially prone.

UNICEF said in a statement that in the year to April 5, 2,519 people had died of meningitis in Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad, out of a total of 47,310 cases.

"The agency is warning that lives in other countries in the meningitis belt could be at risk if more vaccines are not made available to contain the disease," UNICEF said.

Nigeria was the worst hit with 1,701 deaths followed by Burkina Faso with 389.

Despite vaccines being released from global stocks to tackle the outbreak in the region, Nigeria needed a further 2.5 million doses and Niger another 300,000, UNICEF said.

Chad's health minister declared a meningitis epidemic last week and went on national radio to assure people the government would start a vaccination program.

Health officials have launched such a program for two- to 30-year-olds in Niger with vaccines provided by the World Health Organization.

Meningitis spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs, and in close living quarters, especially when people share cups, forks, and spoons.

The largest recorded meningitis outbreak in the African high-risk zone where, like polio, the disease is endemic, occurred in 1996-1997 when an estimated 100,000 people were infected in Nigeria and 50,000 in Niger.

Up to 20 percent of people who survive infection with bacterial meningitis suffer brain damage, hearing loss or learning disability.

(Additional reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi in Niamey and Moumin Ngarmbassa in N'Djamena; Editing by David Clarke and Robert Woodward)

 

[Shiloh]

Re: West Africa: Nigeria, Niger Hardest Hit By 2009 Meningitis Epidemic

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84037

AFRICA: Migrants and meningitis ? a moving threat

AGADEZ, 21 April 2009 (IRIN) - Health workers in northern Niger, a popular crossing for sub-Saharan migrants travelling to northern Africa and beyond, have reported an increase in migrants hospitalised for meningitis at the state?s regional hospital.

During the week of 6 April a hospital nurse who requested anonymity told IRIN that four migrants were hospitalised with meningitis. ?They have all left; one of them left without ever being seen by the doctor,? said the nurse, who works in infectious disease control.

But even more problematic are migrants who do not seek or receive medical care, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). ?Lack of adequate health care [for migrants] will also constitute a risk for communities that come into contact with migrants, whether in transit or destination countries,? Daniel Lopez-Acu?a, director of WHO?s Health Action in Crisis Programmes, told IRIN.

Agadez Governor Abba Mallam Boukar told IRIN the increase in meningitis infections is due to the growing number of migrants crossing Niger. ?These migrants come with their illnesses. Meningitis spreads in dense populations, which is not the case here [Agadez region] where there is one resident per square kilometre.?

According to the 2005 government census, fewer than 350,000 people lived in Agadez?s 15 communes spread out over more than 670,000 sqkm.

But no matter the source, exposure to the disease can be dangerous for all, said WHO?s Lopez-Acu?a. ?With outbreaks of communicable diseases, you cannot make the distinction of who deserves care; it is a public health risk for all.? He added that the global financial crisis may force governments in poor countries to cut back health budgets while more people migrate to seek a livelihood.

?The compounded effect of the economic crisis on health matters can translate to increased risks, particularly for vulnerable, stateless and often stigmatised groups.?

Epidemic

In neighbouring Nigeria there were some 40,000 reported infections as of 12 April; M?decins Sans Fronti?res estimates six million people need meningitis vaccinations in Nigeria and two million in Niger.

The meningitis outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa spread earlier and more rapidly this year than during the same period last year, according to WHO. In Niger as of 12 April, almost 10,000 people had been infected, with almost 400 dying compared to 1,338 infections and 91 deaths this time last year.

One-third of Niger?s meningitis infections have been reported in the southern department of Zinder, which borders Nigeria. The more sparsely populated northern Agadez region has reported fewer than 150 cases and 12 deaths. Abari Eze? with the Agadez regional health office told IRIN almost 140,000 people have been vaccinated.

Agack Algaset, a doctor in the private health clinic Sant? Horizon in Agadez City, told IRIN migrants prefer to go to the regional hospital where a consultation costs US$3 ?private clinic visits are $4 ? and hospitalisation costs $5 per day. But for any patient diagnosed with HIV, tuberculosis or meningitis, regardless of nationality, treatment and hospitalisation are free.

Unaware of the possibility of free treatment, an undocumented migrant who gave his name as Ojuku and home country as Nigeria told IRIN from Agadez that he relied on traditional remedies. ?When I fell ill last week, I bought potatoes that I cut into little pieces, and had with a strong coffee to cure myself. Imagine if I were at the hospital. How would I pay??

pt/idm/np

 

[Shiloh]

Re: West Africa: Nigeria, Niger Hardest Hit By 2009 Meningitis Epidemic

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gDyZcYwLYagpE-GcmHqWIG8boo6Q

Meningitis kills 1,900 in Nigeria, Niger, Chad : charity

LAGOS (AFP) ? A meningitis outbreak has killed at least 1,900 people in three west African countries over the past four months, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday.

"More than 1,900 people infected by meningitis have died since the start of the year in Nigeria, Niger and Chad," said MSF citing combined statistics from the countries' health authorities.

Of the 1,900 fatal cases recorded, 1,500 were in Nigeria alone, some 300 in neighbouring Niger and the remainder in Chad.

In Nigeria, where more than 50,000 cases have been reported, this is the worst meningitis outbreak since 1996 when a triple epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis killed more than 12,000 people, MSF said in a statement.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the central nervous system.

While some forms are mild, meningitis is a potentially serious condition owing to the proximity of the inflammation to the brain and spinal cord and can lead to death if untreated.