Yobe State Reports 85 Deaths and Over 2,000 Cases of Meningitis in Four Months

From December 25, 2023, to April 2024, Yobe State Government documented a total of 2,510 cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis, Type C. Out of these cases, 85 individuals succumbed to the disease either before or upon reaching healthcare facilities.

Dr. Muhammad Lawan Gana, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, disclosed these figures during a press briefing addressing the ongoing meningitis outbreak in the state.

Dr. Gana stated that within the mentioned period, 85 cases resulted in fatalities. Investigations revealed that these individuals either delayed seeking medical assistance or did not seek help at all.

In the past 24 hours, the state registered 28 new cases of meningitis, along with one death. Over the last two weeks, only two deaths were recorded in relation to the disease.

Several measures have been implemented to combat the outbreak, including setting up a temporary Emergency Operations Centre in Potiskum, designated Potiskum Specialist Hospital as the main facility for managing meningitis cases, and administering vaccinations to over 400,000 individuals in the area against Type C meningitis.

Additional actions involve the recruitment of temporary staff, such as an infectious disease professor, for case management, intensive community awareness campaigns, and daily review meetings with partners to assess the current situation.

Dr. Gana emphasized that these interventions have contributed to a decrease in the number of deaths recorded due to the disease.

Regarding a circulated report on social media claiming over 200 deaths in two weeks from a mysterious illness, Dr. Gana refuted the information, labeling it as fake, deceptive, and baseless.