AFP/File – A doctor vaccinates a girl against meningitis in 2007. A meningitis outbreak has killed 931 people in …DAKAR (AFP) – A meningitis outbreak has killed 931 people in four West African countries since January, with most deaths occurring in the continent's most populous nation Nigeria, the United Nations said Wednesday.
"Four countries of West Africa are affected with a total of 13,516 cases and 931 deaths," the UN children's agency UNICEF said.
"Nigeria is the most affected with 9,086 cases and 562 deaths. Niger reports 2,620 cases and 113 deaths. Burkina Faso reports 1,756 cases and 250 deaths. Mali reports 54 cases and six deaths."
UNICEF warned that the authorities in Nigeria, where public health facilities are abysmal and poverty rampant despite its huge oil riches, faced an uphill task in tackling the crisis.
"In Nigeria, case management and a mass vaccination campaign are underway. The stock of vaccine may be insufficient regarding the epidemiological trends, especially in the districts in the north," it warned.
Health authorities placed northern Nigeria on a state of high alert in January following a meningitis outbreak in the town of Zinder in neighbouring Niger.
Nigeria's largest northern state of Kano has been the worst hit thus far.
Meningitis causes inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord and has long wracked Africa, the world's poorest region.
According to UNICEF, it can spread through sneezing and coughing. The disease mainly affects children and young adults aged 1-30, it said.
"The so-called African meningitis belt stretches from Mauritania in the west to Ethiopia in the east and is home to about 350 million people," UNICEF said.
"Outbreaks occur every year between December and May. The dry season, with strong dusty winds and cold nights make people more prone to respiratory infections and facilitates the spread of bacteria."
The biggest recorded outbreak of epidemic meningitis in Africa occurred in 1996 with over 250,000 cases and 25,000 deaths.
Even when the disease is diagnosed early, five percent to 10 percent of patients die, typically within one or two days of the onset of symptoms, according to the World Health Organisation. Most victims suffer irreversible neurological consequences.
The current WHO recommendation for outbreak control is to mass vaccinate every district in an epidemic phase, as well as nearby areas in alert phase. It estimates that a mass immunisation campaign can avoid 70 percent of cases.
Outbreak response also includes active surveillance and case management and support to community awareness programmes.
Once the disease is contracted, it can be treated in its early stages with antibiotics. WHO recommends oily chloramphenicol as the drug of choice in areas with limited health facilities.
UNICEF said mass vaccination drives were currently underway in Niger and Burkina Faso.
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