FG Officially Declares Nigeria Meningitis Free

Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, officially declared Nigeria free from the ‘type c’ deadly Cero Spinal Meningitis (CSM).

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The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole disclosed this to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council weekly meeting in Abuja.

Since the outbreak in 2016, the deadly disease has claimed over 1,000 lives.

Adewole also said that there has been no polio case recorded for the year 2017 while cholera outbreak in Kwara State has fizzled out.

Recall that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had on Sunday, revealed that the outbreak has been in constant decline for eight weeks and the affected States have recorded much fewer new cases.

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“In the last four weeks no Local Government Area has reached outbreak alert threshold. By the 16th of June 2017 when the EOC was stepped down, a total of 14,518 suspected cases of meningitis were reported from 25 states, with 1,166 deaths, giving a case fatality rate of 8%.

“The planning process to prevent future outbreaks and ensuring better preparedness for the next epidemic season has begun. Laboratory capacity has been improved with the recent operationalisation of the new National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa, Abuja with support from the Federal Ministry of Health, the US CDC and the World Health Organisation.

“NCDC is also coordinating a network of laboratories across the country to improve case confirmation capacity. National guidelines towards responding to future outbreaks are being developed together with ongoing continuous awareness campaigns, keeping the general public informed. Workshops to improve preparedness are also being organised.

“While NCDC has stepped down the Emergency response, the work never stops – we will continue to work 24/7 to ensure the protection of all Nigerians against infectious disease threats.” the Chief Executive Officer, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu added.

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