Meningitis kills over 400
2004-03-16 17:12
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - A meningitis outbreak in Burkina Faso has killed 403 people in this West African nation since the beginning of the year, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The deaths were among 2 060 cases reported through March 7, the ministry said in a statement.
Meningitis, which causes inflammation of the brain, triggering headaches and fever, breaks out in the dry season each year in a broad band of countries across the middle of Africa. In Burkina Faso, that season lasts from October to May.