No fewer than 10 persons have been confirmed dead out of 177 suspected cases of cerebrospinal meningitis reported in Degubi community in Nangere Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is a devastating disease and remains a major public health challenge.

Confirming the outbreak, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammad Lawan Gana, who led a state government’s delegation sympathise with the victims of in the town, said the state government was working tirelessly to provide rapid response to the outbreak.

He said the state government had taken adequate measures to control the spread of the disease in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF as well as other international partners.

He said the state government was doing everything possible to tackle the epidemic by providing drugs in the hospital as well as organising massive immunisation programme in the affected community.

“The number of deaths as a result of this disaster is too much and it’s disturbing that is why we come here to sympathise with you and also to ensure that (Governor) Buni’s administration is committed to end this disaster.

“As I am talking to you, His Excellency Gov Buni who was in the Saudi Arabia to perform Umra, has given us an authoritative order and support to do everything possible so as to put this under control, in addition to the commitment of local government council which provides drugs and other things in the first place” he said.

The commissioner, who described the disease as new meningitis variant, said the state had never witnessed such variant, adding that new vaccines had been ordered to curtail the disaster immediately.

Responding, the village head of Degubi community, Alhaji Isyaka Sarki, expressed worries over the deaths rate in the town as a result of the disease, saying the hospital is too congested with patients and battling with electricity supply. (Daily Trust)