Meningitis Outbreak: Kaduna State Embarks On Awareness Campaign

As at 31st March the outbreak was recorded in 15 states and the FCT; 2,524 cases with 328 deaths. The States are Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Nassarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Yobe, Lagos, Cross River, Niger, Osun, Rivers, Gombe.

The causative bacteria is Neisseria meningitis, serotype C in the affected states.

OUR STATE OF PREPAREDNESS IN KADUNA
Disease Surveillance and Notification Offficers (DSNOs) in all the 23LGAs have been put on alert to increase CSM surveillance.

Medical Directors of our General Hospitals have also been put on alert to treat and report any case’

The Drugs Management Agency has been directed to procure ceftriaxone, the parenteral antibiotic of choice, and intravenous fluids to be pre-positioned in all public General hospitals by today and tomorrow.

Airing of Radio Jingles for public awareness was started last Saturday (01/04/17)

WHO has agreed to provide us with specimen containers, lumbar puncture sets, Rapid diagnostic test kits and to transport positive samples to the reference laboratory in Lagos.

VACCINATION
What is done is reactive vaccination; it is carried out when the epidemic threshold is passed, that is 3 cases per 100,000 population per week.

SYMPTOMS
Depends on the age of the patient but generally, children above 1 year and adults will have severe headache, stiff neck, fever >380c , nausea and vomiting;

In severe form there may be altered sensorium, seizures and coma

Children less than 1 year; will appear sick, irritable with fever or low temperature, poor feeding, bulging frontanelle when crying etc

WHAT TO DO
Go to the nearest hospital without delay, avoid self medication

PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
Proper ventilation, avoidance of overcrowding, proper respiratory sanitation i.e proper disposal of respiratory secretions (cover mouth, nose when coughing and sneezing respectively), Regular hand washing. etc

Dr Paul Manya Dogo
Commissioner of Health and Human Services
April 3, 2017