Mediaage NG News – YOBE, Nigeria
Yobe state Commissioner for Education, Mohammed Sani-Idris said no fewer than 17 schoolchildren across five schools in the state have died after an outbreak of meningitis.
The deceased in students in primary and boarding secondary schools, Mr. Sani-Idris said while speaking with the BBC.
He also said a total of 473 suspected cases have been recorded so far.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had earlier in the year put out a public health advisory on the disease, Meningitis.
It highlighted that the dry season could “increase the risk of infection, especially with crowding and poor ventilation”.
Meningitis is an infection that causes an acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord. It can be life-threatening unless diagnosed and treated early.
Vaccination is an effective way of preventing the disease.
Most cases of the disease in Nigeria are reported in what has been termed the “Meningitis Belt,” which covers all 19 states in the northern region.