No fewer than 26 persons have been reported dead as a result of the Cerebrospinal Meningitis outbreak that has plagued Aliero, Gwandu, and Jega local government areas of the state.
Medical experts have diagnosed that Cerebrospinal Meningitis is a serious infection that causes inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by bacteria and viruses and is highly transmittable from a carrier to a non-carrier. A person infected with this deadly disease might suffer spinal cord and brain damage if treatment is not administered appropriately or early enough.
The early symptoms of Cerebrospinal Meningitis are fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in the state capital, the state Commissioner for Health, Musa Ismaila, said the local government recorded 248 cases suspected to be of Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
โIn week seven, we faced an outbreak with an unusually high number of cases. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, and sensitivity to light.
A total of 248 suspected cases were recorded, with 11 samples sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for confirmation. Two samplesโone from Jega and another from Gwanduโtested negative, while results for nine others are still pending.
โSo far, 26 deaths have been recorded: 15 in Gwandu, 6 in Jega, 4 in Aliero, and 1 in Argungu.โ
Mr. Musa stated that the government, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, Mรฉdecins Sans Frontiรจres, and UNICEF, has conducted advocacy visits to key stakeholders.
He also disclosed to journalists during the briefing that the government had allocated the sum of N30 million for the procurement of drugs and essential supplies to support response efforts.
โDrugs and medical supplies have been distributed to affected areas, and isolation centers have been set up in Gwandu, Jega, and Aliero,โ he said.
The commissioner sent cautionary words to natives to be proactive health-wise and report any suspected cases to the appropriate authority.
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