By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) killed 118 persons across 21 states in the country between last year and April 2, 2023.
In a situation report released Saturday, 22 April, 2023, the agency noted that as of Sunday, 2 April, 2023, a total of 1, 479 suspected cases had been recorded in 2022/2023 CSM seasons.
The health agency stated that the 22 states that reported suspected CSM cases in 2022/2023 include Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
The report stated that 93 per cent of all the cumulative cases were from five states – Jigawa (1,064 cases), Yobe (234 cases), Zamfara (36 cases), Bauchi (23 cases) and Adamawa (21 cases).
It further stated that 14 local government areas across four states—Jigawa (8), Yobe (4), Bauchi (1) and Zamfara (1) – reported more than 10 cases each during the 2022/2023 CSM seasons.
It stated that males were 57 per cent of the cases, while 43 per cent were females.
The NCDC said Jigawa State had been in an outbreak since Epi week 40 (2022), with 11 out of 22 local government areas affected.
The NCDC said Yobe State, also in a suspected outbreak, is being supported to generate enough surveillance/laboratory data/evidence to make a request for vaccines.
