Meningitis kills 500 in Niger
2003-05-06 22:56
Niamey - A meningitis epidemic in the West African state of Niger has claimed nearly 500 lives since the beginning of the year, hospital authorities said on Tuesday.
At least 498 deaths were reported out of 6 550 officially registered cases of cerebrospinal meningitis at health centres between January 1 and April 7, they said.
The worst-hit area is Zinder near the border with Nigeria to the south, where at least 150 deaths have occurred.
Other cases have been reported in the regions of Maradi in the centre and Tahaoua in the north.
The outskirts of the capital Niamey were also affected, the authorities said.
The national health information centre said the worst had been averted due to help from Niger's development partners including France, the UN children's agency Unicef, Germany, the European Union and the World Health Organisation, which had rushed in supplies of vaccines and medicine.
Niger, a former French colony, is one of the poorest countries in the world.
A vast, landlocked republic lying mostly in the Sahara Desert between Algeria and Nigeria, only 12% of its nearly 1.2 million square kilometres (458,075 square miles) is suitable for crops. The population numbers about 8.5 million.
Meningitis has reached endemic proportions in Niger and its southwestern neighbour Burkina Faso.
According to figures last month, a meningitis epidemic in Burkina Faso has caused more than 900 deaths out of 6 234 reported cases despite a major free vaccination campaign in the worst-hit areas.
Meningitis is a highly contagious disease carried by dust. Seasonal rains expected at the end of May are expected to curb the latest outbreak.