- He revealed that Sabon Birni recorded the highest number of infections with 63 suspected cases
- Dr. Abubakar explained that many of the deaths occurred before victims could be taken to hospitals
- Health experts say symptoms of meningitis include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness
The Sokoto State Government has confirmed that 33 children have died following a renewed outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis in several parts of the state.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Faruk Abubakar, disclosed the development during an advocacy meeting with district heads on SARMAAN and MNTE.
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The programme was organised by the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in partnership with Sightsavers and the Chigari Foundation.
According to the commissioner, the outbreak, which resurfaced about a month ago, has so far resulted in 256 suspected cases across eight local government areas.
He revealed that Sabon Birni recorded the highest number of infections with 63 suspected cases, while Wamakko followed with 60 cases.
Shagari accounted for 51 cases, Tambuwal recorded 33, and Dange Shuni had 26. Kebbe reported 16 cases, while Bodinga, Gada and Kware recorded two, one and two cases respectively.
Dr. Abubakar explained that many of the deaths occurred before victims could be taken to hospitals, blaming delays in seeking treatment and misconceptions that the illness has spiritual causes rather than being a medical condition requiring urgent attention.
Health experts say symptoms of meningitis include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion and convulsions.
They warned that the disease can become fatal within a short time if not treated promptly and may also lead to long-term complications such as hearing loss, paralysis or brain damage.
To contain the outbreak, the state government, working alongside Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), has established isolation centres at the General Hospitals in Dogo Daji and Tambuwal. Separate wards have also been created for male and female patients.
The commissioner noted that although only about 20 laboratory samples have so far tested positive, patients who arrived early for treatment have responded positively, adding that no new deaths have been recorded since intensified response measures began.
He urged residents to report to the nearest health facility immediately after noticing symptoms and advised the public to disregard misleading beliefs about the disease as efforts continue to curb the outbreak.
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