ABUJA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in Nigeria's northern state of Yobe has killed at least 22 people since December 2023, local health authorities said on Monday.
A total of 636 confirmed cases of the disease have been recorded across six local government areas of the state in the current outbreak, Haruna Umar, a disease surveillance officer and notification officer in Yobe, told reporters Monday morning in the state capital of Damaturu.
The officer said the first suspected case of the latest outbreak was reported on Dec. 24, 2023, and confirmed on Jan. 26.
He said at least 564 cases were fully recovered and discharged, noting that the remaining cases were being monitored and treated in isolation centers in the state.
CSM outbreaks are caused mostly by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A (NmA). These outbreaks occur in the dry season due to low humidity and dusty conditions, and they usually end with the onset of the rainy season.
The Yobe state government is working on proactive measures to curb the spread of the disease, Umar added. ■