JIGAWA SEES 38 MENINGITIS FATALITIES.

The Jigawa State Ministry of Health has reported 38 deaths related to a cerebellar spinal meningitis outbreak in the region.

The sickness has been reported in seven local government districts of the state that share a border with the Niger Republic, according to the state commissioner of health through the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr. Salisu Muazu.

He identified Babura, Maigatari, Suletankarkar, and Birniwa, Gumel, Gwiwa, and Yankwashi among the impacted LGAs.

In response to inquiries from reporters on Wednesday in his office in Dutse, the state capital, Muazu confirmed the deaths.

He disclosed that the afflicted populations have experienced a “weird” type of CSM.

According to Dr. Muazu, 398 suspected cases have been reported in various towns and villages throughout the impacted local government districts.

He stated, “The outbreak was first noted in the seven local government districts bordering the Niger Republic, from where it later spread to additional villages and cities in those local government regions.

He emphasized that 398 instances were reported in 56 political wards where the illness first surfaced.

“Last year, we immunized everyone in the state against cerebellar spinal meningitis, and we found an outbreak in these seven nearby local governments in the neighboring Niger Republic.

“After hearing about the outbreak, we collected disease samples, analyzed them in a lab, and learned it was a peculiar sickness. It wasn’t the typical CSM illness that exists in this area. We found out it’s a brand-new bacteria called type B.

The state government, acting through the ministry of health, immediately began taking treatment, control, and prevention measures in the impacted districts.

“We created a center at the general hospital in Gumel, where all patients were referred for care. All of the patients were treated for free, he claimed.

The issue was now under control, according to Dr. Mu’azu, who noted that the number of cases reported had significantly dropped.

“It’s under control now. Now, we document one to two cases per day. On several days, we didn’t register a single case. We have only registered one case from last Saturday until today,” he stated.