The Federal Government, in its efforts to ensure that Nigerians are safe, particularly from disease outbreaks, has alerted the public about the likely outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM).
To forestall such disease outbreaks in some states across the country, the government said it is working through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to prevent, detect, and respond to cases of Meningitis.
Lafiya360 reports that according to a statement signed by the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, Nigeria recorded 2,765 suspected cases and 303 confirmed cases in the year 2022. In 2023, the country recorded 190 deaths across 140 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 30 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It, however, disclosed that the highest burden of CSM in Nigeria usually occurred in the “Meningitis Belt” which included all 19 states in the Northern region, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and some southern states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo and Osun.
The NCDC also added that it had deployed a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to Jigawa and Bauchi states to investigate reports of rising cases, and provide medical and laboratory commodities to aid the state’s response.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, a thin layer of the connective tissue that covers the brain and the spinal cord. If due to an infection, this inflammation can be caused by a variety of organisms – bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. Injuries and certain drugs can also cause such inflammation.
Bacterial meningitis is of significant public health importance because: It has a high morbidity and mortality; It can be epidemic prone depending on the type of bacteria; and it is both treatable and preventable.
Transmission is through direct person-to-person contact, including droplets from the nose and throat of infected persons. Transmission is facilitated by close and prolonged contact (such as sneezing and coughing), smoking, overcrowding, while certain climatic conditions like dry season, where winds, cold nights, and associated upper respiratory tract infections combine to damage the lining of the nasopharynx. In-between epidemics, N. meningitidis bacteria survive in the nasopharynx of asymptomatic carriers.
The most common signs and symptoms are fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, photophobia (pain on looking at bright lights), neck stiffness, and altered conscious levels. In younger children it may be more difficult to observe these signs, and irritability, poor feeding, and inactivity are common. N. meningitidis can also cause meningococcal septicemia, presenting with fatigue, severe myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting, cold extremities, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and a purpuric (dark purple non-blanching) rash.