At least 30 people, including an undergraduate, have been confirmed dead after an outbreak of meningitis in four Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, thegazelenews.com reports.
The state Commissioner for Health, Yanusa Ismail, who made this disclosure during a press conference in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, revealed that a total of 248 suspected cases have been recorded, with 11 samples taken for examination, out of which three have been confirmed negative.
According to the Commissioner, the affected LGAs are: Gwandu, Aleiro, Jega and Argungu providing a breakdown of the fatalities as follows: 18 in Gwandu, six in Jega, four in Aleiro, and one in Argungu.
Responding to the outbreak, the Kebbi State Government said it has approved N30 million for the procurement of drugs to contain the spread of the disease.
The Commissioner urged the public to maintain personal hygiene and avoid crowded places to reduce the risk of infection, confirming that isolation centres have been set up to manage cases.
According to thim, samples have been sent to Abuja for further testing, and if confirmed, the state government will request vaccines to prevent further spread.
Another case was also detected at the State University of Science and Technology in Aliero, resulting in one death.
The Commissioner confirmed the development and advised the university authorities to take measures to decongest student hostels.
