ABUJA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis in Nigeria's Sokoto State has risen from seven to 23, a senior health official said on Monday.
Balarabe Kakale, the Sokoto State commissioner for health, told reporters the deaths were recorded across seven districts where meningitis is endemic in the northwestern Nigerian state.
The latest death toll was recorded within 10 days after health authorities in Nigeria confirmed seven people dead from the outbreak.
Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord, with the common symptoms being fever, rash, headache, and vomiting.
The Nigerian government has deployed epidemiologists and vaccines to arrest the outbreak that has spread to Zamfara State, also in the country's northwest.
Minister of Health Isaac Adewole said a new strain, which is not common in Nigeria, was imported from Niger, adding it requires a different type of vaccine.
More than 156 people died throughout Nigeria in a meningitis outbreak in 2009.
The seasonal outbreak of meningitis is expected in Nigeria due to its location and occasioned by factors like cold nights, dusty winds, dry weather. Gada said the current problem was aggravated by formidable factors like traditional beliefs, poor hygiene, and overpopulation.
Immunization and sensitization services had been bolstered, local officials told Xinhua.
