Photo: Fabrice Caterini - INEDIZ/MSFMember of MSF Nigeria Emergency Response Unit (NERU) attends a woman in the meningitis treatment center run by MSF in Sokoto Mutalah Mohamad Hospital. Thousands of men, women, and children in northern Nigeria have been affected by a meningitis C outbreak, reportedly the largest to hit the country in the past nine years. At the end of April, the Nigerian MoH reported 9,646 suspected cases of meningitis C, with a total of 839 deaths since late 2016. Even more worrisome is the global shortage of meningitis C vaccine, which contributed to the delayed response and increased mortality rates in Nigeria. It is crucial that adequate prevention measures be put in place to avoid another delayed response when the next meningitis outbreak inevitably occurs.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 09, 2017 12:22 UTC