MENINGITIS KILLS 46 PEOPLE

Forty six people have died since an outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis was reported in some states of the federation, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

According to the agency, the highest number of deaths, 22, was recorded in Bauchi State.

The deaths were recorded out of the 258 cases reported in Bauchi, Jigawa, Gombe, Sokoto and Yobe states.

In Bauchi State, Musa Dambam, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), said that 22 children died of CSM between January and February and that about 138 suspected cases of the disease were recorded in 15 of the 20 local government areas of the state within the period.

In Jigawa, no less than 13 persons were reported to have died as a result of the outbreak of CSM, while in Gombe, the State Ministry of Health confirmed the death of nine persons in nine of the 11 local government areas of the state.

Similarly, in Sokoto State, Jabbi Kilgori, the State Commissioner for Health, said that an outbreak of CSM had claimed the lives of two children in Wamakko Local Government area, while four people had tested positive out of the 33 samples, which were sent for laboratory analysis.