WHO says at least 18 people in Niger have died from meningitis within last three months. It alerted that the outbreak had the potential to spread to other countries.
It reported 559 cases of the bacterial disease in Niger’s Zinder region between November 1 and January 27.
111 was confirmed in a laboratory to be meningitis, while 231 cases were reported during the same time period the previous year.
Since 2015, nearly 1400 people have died in the country.
However, the UN health agency expressed concern, stating that the current outbreak has “both an elevated number of cases and a steadily increasing growth rate” when compared to previous seasons.
Meningitis is a disease of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
It is spread through the respiratory droplets or throat secretions of infected people.
The disease is potentially fatal.
It can result in neurological damage if left untreated. Particularly, It can cause deafness and developmental disability in young children.
People under the age of 20 have been the most affected by the current outbreak in Niger, with the majority of cases seen among children aged 10 to 14.
According to the World Health Organization, there were 76 cases among children aged four and under.
However, early symptoms such as headaches and fever can be difficult to identify because they are similar to other common ailments.
The majority of the lab-confirmed cases in the Zinder region were caused by N. meningitidis serogroup C, or NmC.
Where a NmC epidemic is also currently in progress, “confirming the risk of international spread,” according to the report.
WHO warned that the concurrent occurrence of other outbreaks, insecurity, and population displacement, all in the frame of reference of a prolonged humanitarian disaster, are likely to lead to the spread of the outbreak in other West African subregional countries.
According to the organization, the risk of the outbreak spreading beyond the region is low at the national level in Niger while it is moderate at the West African regional level.
