The Sokoto State Government has confirmed the death of 33 children following an outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis across parts of the state, with health authorities revealing that no fewer than 256 suspected cases have so far been recorded in eight local government areas.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Abubakar, disclosed this on Wednesday during an advocacy meeting with district heads on the Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin in Children and Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination.
The meeting was organised by the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with Sightsavers and the Chigari Foundation.
Abubakar said the outbreak resurfaced about one month ago and had since spread across several communities, particularly affecting children and teenagers.
According to him, Sabon Birni Local Government Area recorded the highest number of cases with 63 suspected infections, followed closely by Wamakko with 60 cases.
He added that Shagari recorded 51 cases, Tambuwal 33, Dange Shuni 26, Kebbe 16, while Bodinga, Gada and Kware recorded two, one and two cases respectively.
The commissioner noted that many of the deaths occurred within communities before victims could be taken to healthcare facilities for treatment.
He blamed the development on delayed health-seeking behaviour and widespread misconceptions about the disease.
According to him, some residents believed the illness had spiritual causes rather than understanding that meningitis is a medical emergency requiring urgent hospital care.
The confirmation by the government followed growing concerns raised by residents of Kurawa village in Sabon Birni LGA, who earlier alerted authorities to a suspected meningitis outbreak ravaging the area.
Residents said the disease was affecting mostly children and young people.
According to Daily Trust, sources at the village health facility told journalists that the situation became alarming after deaths began occurring almost daily.
According to the sources, between two and three people, mostly aged between two and 20 years, were dying each day at the peak of the outbreak.
They explained that many victims died before the illness was correctly diagnosed.
Residents were later advised by health officials to avoid sleeping in overcrowded and poorly ventilated rooms because of the intense heat conditions being experienced in the area.
Community members described symptoms suffered by victims to include severe neck pain, high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, unconsciousness and, in some cases, foaming from the mouth — symptoms consistent with cerebrospinal meningitis.
Naijaonpoint reports that as part of efforts to contain the outbreak, the Sokoto State Government, in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, established isolation centres at the general hospitals in Dogo Daji and Tambuwal.
Abubakar explained that the facilities had separate wards for male and female patients to improve treatment and infection control.
The commissioner disclosed that although only about 20 laboratory samples had so far tested positive for meningitis, patients brought early to health facilities had responded positively to treatment.
He also said no fresh deaths had been recorded recently since the government intensified interventions across affected communities.
However, firsthand accounts from the Dogo Daji isolation centre indicated that fresh cases were still being recorded daily.
A nursing staff member at the centre, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, disclosed that 22 patients were currently on admission at the facility.
“We are discharging those who have fully recovered. Even today, we discharged two patients, but they were immediately replaced as we received two new cases,” the health worker said.
He explained that the centre currently operates two wards — one for male patients and another for female and paediatric cases.
According to him, increasing admissions may soon force the management to expand the facility further.
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