Yobe, 01 June 2017 - Yobe state in northeast Nigeria has concluded the second round of vaccination campaign against meningitis, with technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Results from the campaign which ended on 27 May 2017, indicate that 136,355 persons aged 2-29years were vaccinated with ACW meningitis vaccine in Fika, Fune, Gujba and Damaturu Local Government Areas (LGAs). The coverage is more than the expected number of people targeted in the campaign.

Thousands of people including women and children in northern Nigeria have been affected by the meningitis C outbreak in the last six months contributing to what public health experts consider the largest in Nigeria since 2008. In Yobe state alone, 405 suspected cases of meningitis including 40 deaths were reported from 14 LGAs as at 22 May 2017.

Evaluating the exercise, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Muhammed Lawan Gana applauded WHO’s quick response to detect, investigate and confirm reported cases of meningitis in Yobe state. “Without WHO’s extensive surveillance, rapid detection rate and response to outbreaks of meningitis, polio, measles and other communicable diseases in Yobe state, the health situation of our people could be worse,” said Dr. Gana.

“WHO’s rapid response to health issues in Yobe state is a testimony of our fruitful partnership with the agency and has tremendously helped in containing polio transmission for the past three years in the State and recently the  meningitis outbreak,” he added.

The first phase of the campaign took place between 29 March and 01 April 2017 in Karasuwa and Nguru LGAs and all internally displaced persons  camps in Yobe state following the timely detection and investigation of reported cases through the surveillance system, mainly supported by WHO.

Meningitis outbreaks are currently reported in five states (Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and Sokoto) in Northwest and Northcentral zones of Nigeria. The most common serotype is Neisseria meningitidis serotype C (Nm C). As of 25 May  2017, a total of 14,298 cases with 1148 deaths have been reported.

WHO is working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund  (UNICEF), Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and other partners to control the outbreak.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Mary Stephen; Tel: +234 803 639 1332; Email:  stephenm [at] who.int