Sokoto State has confirmed 33 deaths from a meningitis outbreak that has infected 256 people across eight local government areas.
The Sokoto State Government has confirmed the death of 33 children following an outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis in parts of the state. The Commissioner for Health, Faruk Abubakar, disclosed this on Wednesday during an advocacy meeting on Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin in Children (SARMAAN) and Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE), organised by the state’s Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with Sightsavers and the Chigari Foundation.
According to the commissioner, 256 suspected cases have been recorded across eight local government areas since the disease resurfaced about a month ago. He said Sabon Birni recorded the highest number with 63 cases, followed by Wamakko with 60, Shagari with 51, Tambuwal with 33 and Dange Shuni with 26 cases. Kebbe recorded 16 cases, while Bodinga, Gada and Kware reported two, one and two cases respectively. Residents of Kurawa village had earlier raised concerns over increasing deaths, particularly among children and teenagers.
Dr Abubakar said many of the fatalities occurred before victims were taken to health facilities, attributing the situation to delayed health-seeking behaviour and misconceptions surrounding the illness. To contain the outbreak, the government, in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), established isolation centres at general hospitals in Dogo Daji and Tambuwal. He added that although only about 20 samples have so far tested positive for meningitis, patients admitted early have responded well to treatment, with no recent deaths recorded since intensified interventions began.
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