More than 800 people have died in a meningitis outbreak in Nigeria but the disease is now spreading more slowly, health minister Isaac Adewole disclosed the figures on Wednesday
“The death toll up to now is 813,” he told reporters in Abuja after a cabinet meeting. “As of now, we are noticing a decline, the Premium Times reports.
“This is week 16. This is also expected because we are moving away from the active season. We are confident that in the next couple of weeks everything will be over.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, also confirmed the figure in a tweet on his twitter page on Wednesday.
“We’ve lost about 800 people to Meningitis – this should not be the case. We must encourage families to take their children for vaccination”, he said in the tweet.
We've lost about 800 people to Meningitis – this should not be the case. We must encourage families to take their children for vaccination. pic.twitter.com/D3w6d2wz25
— Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) April 26, 2017
On April 19, the Nigerian government had announced that 745 people had died.
The outbreak of meningitis C is concentrated in northern Nigeria, where a mass vaccination programme has begun to limit its spread.
