The Executive Director, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Alhaji Usman Ndanusa, has confirmed that cerebrospinal meningitis has claimed eight lives in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.
Ndanusa, who is a Pharmacist, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Minna.
He said it is absurd that the disease keeps on claiming lives annually because people see it as a jinx or evil spirit that can be handled traditionally instead of by orthodox medicine.
He stated that the agency has begun sensitization to curb the epidemic so that it does not spread to neighbouring local government areas.
According to him, Magama, Borgu, Agwara and Mariga Rijau local government areas were usually flash points of the disease, but only Borgu has so far lost eight people to the scourge from March till date.
Ndanusa however regretted that the agency has not embarked on cerebrospinal meningitis immunization this year because they do not have the vaccine.
He said: “While we are awaiting the Federal Government’s intervention for the vaccine, we are calling on all and sundry to live a healthy lifestyle while the heat lasts.
“The agency has carried out sensitization to market places, garages and Local Government Areas.”
Similarly, Ndanusa called on Nigerlites to prevent the disease by living a healthy life style.
He said: “A rich immune system can help prevent an infection from the viruses and bacteria that cause meningitis.
“People should strive to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.
“Aside this, good exercise is very necessary as well as regular bath.”
Ndanusa also advised the people to drink plenty of water and try to get quality sleep by making sure their houses are well ventilated.
In a related development, as the Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) season reaches its peak in the country, no fewer than 44 people have died from the disease, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed.
The NCDC declared that the 2018/2019 meningitis season began on October 1. The agency said in preparation for this year’s outbreak, all states in the meningitis belt were formally placed on alert on November 8, 2018.
The meningitis outbreak is usually synonymous with the dry season. This begins around November and peaks around March and April, when the temperature is hottest before subsiding in June/July every year.
Since the onset of this year’s season, NCDC in its situation report (October 1 to March 17) said a total of 395 suspected cases have been reported from 14 states. Out of these, 43 samples were positive for bacterial meningitis. Most of the cases tested positive for the meningitis strain C. There are several different types of meningococcal meningitis (A, C, W) that can cause epidemics.
However, the C strain of the disease is quite new to the country and caused a major meningitis outbreak in Nigeria two years ago.
So far, 44 deaths have been reported in the latest outbreak taking case fatality ratio to 11.1 per cent.
In the reporting Week 12, 14 states – Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara – have recorded at least one confirmed case across 40 local government areas.
Online medium, Premium Times reported how the Executive Director, Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Usman Ndanusa, said that CSM has claimed eight lives in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.
Ndanusa, who is a Pharmacist, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Minna.
