500 Meningitis Patients Recovered in Yobe – Govt

The Yobe State Government said, on Monday, that 564 out of the  636 patients who came down with meningitis in the state have recovered. The state’s Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer, Primary Healthcare Management Board, Haruna Umar, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Damaturu.

The PUNCH reported last week that Yobe quarantined 206 persons after recording 20 deaths following an outbreak of meningitis. Umar said as of Monday, the total fatality was 22 while 564 patients had fully recovered. He said 50 patients remained on admission and were being observed and managed in isolation centres.He added that the 636 cases were recorded across six local government areas of Machina, Nangere, Fika, Fune, Potiskum and Gujba.

He said the government had taken proactive measures to curb the spread of the disease in the state. “The government has established treatment centres in the affected LGAs, including temporary isolation camps in some secondary schools. “The government has also engaged 18 ad hoc staff, including two medical doctors, at the isolation centres, among other measures,” Umar added.

Last week, Nigeria became the first country to receive the new MenFive meningitis vaccine from the Vaccine Alliance-funded global stockpile, with a shipment delivered by the United Nations Children’s Fund. “The ICG approved the deployment of 1,043,377 doses of MenFive in response to Nigeria’s request,” Gavi said in a statement.

Source: Punch