Committee convene stakeholders' meeting to end disease

dimeji akinloye

April 20, 2017 10:44 AM

The spokesman for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that the traditional rulers reaffirmed commitment to continue raising awareness on CSM in their communities.

Nigeria's suspected meningitis outbreak has mostly affected children in five northern states

The Northern Traditional Leaders Committee (NTLC) on primary health care has convened a stakeholders meeting on strategies to end the outbreak of

Dr Lawal Bakare, Communication Manager, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

Bakare said that the traditional rulers reaffirmed commitment to continue raising awareness on CSM in their communities and jurisdictions.

He noted that at the national level and in affected states, activities aimed at driving information into grassroots including advocacy meetings with religious leaders, civil society organisations, health professionals, entertainers and media organisations would continue.

He said that as at April 17, about 8,057 suspected cases of meningitis have been reported across the country, 230 or three per cent were laboratory confirmed with 745 recorded deaths.

He also said that out of the 8,057 cases, 7,519 or 93 per cent of cases have occurred in the five states that have reached outbreak levels for CSM.

Bakare added that enhanced surveillance activities activated by several states in partnership with NCDC had contributed to increased case finding and more timely reporting.

He further said that NCDC Rapid Response Teams of trained doctors and scientists continue to provide on-site outbreak investigation and control support to affected states.

He noted that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) successfully led vaccination in Zamfara and in Katsina states targeting persons between ages two and 29 years in the priority local government areas in both states.

He noted that preparations were at advanced stage for the next round of vaccination in priority wards and local government areas in Sokoto state.

He also said that distribution of medicines and other essential commodities to treat persons with meningitis in key affected states was ongoing.

Bakare said that the CSM National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) at the NCDC is leading the national coordination and support for the outbreak response in affected states.

dimeji akinloye

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