LAGOS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian Minister of
Health Babatunde Osotimehin on Wednesday confirmed the deaths of 333 Nigerians
as a result of the outbreak of meningitis and lassa fever in 22 states in the
country.
The minister, who stated these at a press briefing in
Abuja, said the government was doing everything possible to contain the
outbreaks in different parts of the country.
He said, "As at today (Wednesday), we have recorded
5,323 cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis with 333 deaths in 22 states and 217
local government areas in Nigeria."
He added that since the beginning of this year, there
has been an upsurge in cases of lassa fever, especially in Abuja and its
environs. Within the last two weeks, 12 cases was recorded with five deaths.
Osotimehin also confirmed that four health workers at
the National Hospital, Abuja, who took care of some of the patients with lassa
fever, had fallen ill from infections from the virus.
Osotimehin said the challenge before the Federal
Ministry of Health on the issue of meningitis was its inability to rapidly
access significant quantities of vaccines to mount mass vaccination campaigns in
the affected areas.
The Federal Ministry of Health is striving to create
awareness and give appropriate information to prevent the spread of the
incidence. The ministry wants the general public and parents in particular to
know the symptoms, he said.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 51 persons have been
confirmed dead in Bauchi State following an outbreak of meningitis out of the
703 cases so far recorded in 19 out of the 20 local government areas of the
state.
The Commissioner for Health in the state Alhaji Aminu
Hammayo who disclosed this to reporters Wednesday at a press briefing, said the
worst cases were recorded in Dambam and Katagum local government areas, which
share border with Yobe and Jigawa States.
Hammayo said while Dambam recorded a total of 223
cases, Katagum reported 204 cases, which represented 65 percent of the total
cases recorded in the state.
