AT least 34 people have died while 254 others have been infected following a meningitis outbreak across nine local government areas of Sokoto State.
News Point Nigeria reports that the state Commissioner for Health, Faruk Abubakar-Wurno, disclosed the development to journalists on Wednesday, saying the outbreak had spread across multiple communities and triggered urgent government response efforts.
News Point Nigeria reports that Abubakar-Wurno said most of the deaths occurred at home before government intervention, explaining that several residents attributed the illness to spiritual beliefs or mysterious circumstances, thereby delaying early treatment and proper medical attention.
According to the commissioner, the state government established isolation centres in Dogondaji and Kurawa communities located in Tambuwal and Sabon Birni Local Government Areas.
He added that all 201 persons treated at government health facilities had been successfully discharged.
Abubakar-Wurno listed the affected LGAs and the number of recorded victims as Dange-Shuni with 26 cases, Kebbe with 16, Shagari with 51, Tambuwal with 34, Wamakko with 60, Sabon Birni with 63, Bodinga with two, Kware with two, and Gada with one case respectively.
Providing an update on laboratory findings, the commissioner said samples were sent for testing, noting that while several results returned negative, eight cases of meningitis had been confirmed, indicating the presence of the disease within affected communities.
He said the government had intensified public awareness campaigns and advised residents to sleep in well-ventilated rooms or outside house compounds to reduce the spread of the disease, which is often worsened by extreme heat conditions.
The commissioner further disclosed that children between the ages of one and 15 years were the most affected by the outbreak.
He warned that overcrowding and seasonal dry winds had significantly increased the risk of transmission, raising fresh public health concerns across northern states.
Abubakar-Wurno added that the state government had intensified surveillance through disease surveillance officers, while also ensuring laboratory testing, medication provision, and improved laboratory capacity for quicker detection and confirmation of cases.
