When six-year old Mohammed Waziga arrived at a health centre in northwest Nigeria complaining of joint pains and drowsiness, he was given an injection and sent home without any concerns. Meningitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which can be caused by viral or bacterial infections. State governor Abdulaziz Yari was reported by local media last month as saying the outbreak was God's punishment for sin. The state government has set up a committee to distribute vaccines and drugs, while aid organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to try to control the meningitis outbreak. Sitting in a clinic in Zamfara, where her two sons, aged 13 and four, were recovering from meningitis, Zainab Abdulazeez stared at the empty bed of a child who died during the night.

Source: The Star May 08, 2017 10:41 UTC