Nigerian Government Explains Challenges, Successes In Dealing With Meningitis Outbreak

The Nigerian government on Wednesday explained some of its challenges in dealing with meningitis outbreak across several states in the country. The government listed some of its challenges which included new strain of bacteria, exorbitant price of drugs, and short shelf life of the drugs used in treating the strain of the microorganism causing the disease.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, gave the government’s stance and said there have been 2,996 cases of the disease in 16 states and 54 local governments across the country. Mr. Ehanire said about 336 citizens of the country have died from the disease, and 141 of such is confirmed by laboratory tests. While addressing journalists after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, in Abuja, the minister said there has been a robust response by his ministry and the governments of the states concerned along with the World Health Organisation; UNICEF, Nigeria Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC;;; and other partners since the outbreak. He said the challenge with the current outbreak was that it is caused by a new strain of bacteria, Type C, different from the well-known Type A strain.

The minister said so far, the country has “mobilized vaccines to come in from all corners; 500,000 units doses of vaccines are being distributed ‎and they have started vaccination campaign already.”He also said Nigeria is getting additional 826,000 units which will be shipped‎ from Europe within the next few days.

Mr. Ehanire said, “The most affected states have been Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina and together they have about 85 per cent of the cases.” He said there is reactive ‎vaccination going on already in the affected states. “There are two treatment centre’s being set up in every local government and lumber puncture kits have been distributed so that doctors can take samples to laboratory for testing.“There are field epidemiologists who are doing findings and contact tracing in other to interrupt the spread of this epidemic,” he said

The minister said the vaccines are “extremely expensive” to make ‎and if acquired and stored without using, they may expire. “So, companies make the vaccines on request and on demand and they store just as much as they calculate will be used.