From Saka Bolaji, Minna
An outbreak of Cerebro Spiral Meningitis has killed no fewer than 16 persons at Tungan Jika and Mazakari villages of Magama local government out of 31 cases in four local governments of Niger state.
The State Commissioner of Health and Hospital Services, Dr Mustapha Mohammed Jibrin, who made the disclosure in Minna at a press briefing said that all deaths recorded were from Magama local government with 9 of them females and 7 were males who were within the age of 1-20 years old.
Dr Jibrin added that the four local governments include Magama with 23 cases, Rijau has 4 cases, Kontagora recorded 3 cases and Agwara has one case first reported on March 6, 2017 hence 77% cases were from Magama where most of the localities claimed it was a witchcraft attacked on the community.
He noted that within this year the country has recorded 374 cases in 21 states with 49 deaths which usually occurred between December and June annually due to excess heat, over- crowding, poverty, malnutrition and others.
The commissioner explained that it was caused by a bacteria, which affected the central nervous system and spinal cord. He added that the symptoms usual manifest between 2-10 days of infection from fever, body pain and neck stiffness.
He assured of government prompt identification and treatment of the victims and that it was not a witchcraft attacked as alleged by the villagers. He appealed to them to have good ventilation, good hygiene, regular hand-washing and charged people to quickly report to the nearest hospital.
Jibrin expressed satisfaction that government was on top of the situation hence sensitization was on-going, to give antibiotics to those who had close contact with the victims.
Niger, he said, has partnered with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the preventive measure to be put in place to curb its spread just as the state team led by the commissioner is to visit the community on Thursday this week.
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