NCDC declares disease outbreak that killed 1,166 is over

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has declared the countrys recent meningitis outbreak over.

The agency's CEO, Chikwe Ihekweazu disclosed this in a statement on June 24, saying the Type C meningitis has been in decline over the past eight weeks as fewer new cases are reported in affected states.

Due to the decline of the outbreak that claimed 1,166 lives all over the country, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), established by the agency to respond to it, has stepped down.

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In his statement, he noted, "No local government area has reached outbreak alert threshold. By the 16th of June 2017 when the EOC was stepped down, a total of 14,518 suspected cases of meningitis were reported from 25 states, with 1,166 deaths, giving a case fatality rate of 8%."

He lauded the efforts of everyone who contributed to battling the outbreak, while promising to be better prepared for any future recurrence.

"We recognise our leadership, the Honorable Ministers of Health and the leadership of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency for the joint support during the outbreak.

"The planning process to prevent future outbreaks and ensuring better preparedness for the next epidemic season has begun. Laboratory capacity has been improved with the recent operationalisation of the new National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa, Abuja with support from the Federal Ministry of Health, the US CDC and the World Health Organisation.

"While NCDC has stepped down the Emergency response, the work never stops - we will continue to work 24/7 to ensure the protection of all Nigerians against infectious disease threats."

He added, "NCDC is also coordinating a network of laboratories across the country to improve case confirmation capacity. National guidelines towards responding to future outbreaks are being developed together with ongoing continuous awareness campaigns, keeping the general public informed. Workshops to improve preparedness are also being organised"

The outbreak started in Zamfara state and mostly affected four other states: Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger.