FG: Nigeria Now Has Enough Meningitis Vaccines To Combat Outbreak

The Federal Government said on Tuesday that it has enough vaccines to combat the outbreak of the Cerebro Spinal Meningitis Type C epidemic.

The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, made this known while speaking at a meeting with Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Primary Health Care Delivery in Kaduna on Tuesday.

Mr. Shuaib, assured Nigerians that the country now has enough vaccines to immunise members of the public.

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This followed reports that just 500,000 vaccines are currently in the country, with Zamfara alone in need of more than 1 million vaccines.

The Executive Director explained that the Ministry of Health and National Centre for Disease Control, had already given out 420,000 doses of vaccine in Zamfara, out of the 500,000 it had.

“At the beginning of the outbreak, there was no vaccine in Nigeria. That was one of the reasons for the slow response in vaccination of people against the disease. But as at today, we already have enough vaccines”, he stated.

“We are expecting 823,000 conjugate Type C from the British government and it will be available in the country in a week’s time and there is an ongoing plan on starting vaccination in Sokoto.”

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Mr. Shuaib said that the agency as at 2016 forecasted that there would be an outbreak of meningitis in the country during the dry season and that 634,394 doses of meningococcal A+C vaccine would be needed to respond to the outbreak in 2017, but the vaccines were not ready ahead of the outbreak due to lack of funds.

Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges. It is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by bacteria or viruses, but could also be a result of injury, cancer, or certain drugs. Knowing the specific cause is however important because the treatment differs depending on the cause.

The CSM since its outbreak in January has killed nearly 500 people and affected about 19 states across the country, with experts saying it could spread even to more states.

The affected states include Zamfara – the state most affected by the epidemic, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nassarawa, Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau.

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