Meningitis: 18 LGAs in Jigawa State LGA’s Hit, 65 Dead

Approximately 65 people in Jigawa state have died as a result of an outbreak of meningitis in 18 out of the 27 Local Government Areas in the state. Some of the towns in the Babura, Gumel, Maigatari and Sule Dankarkar Local Government Areas were the most affected by the outbreak.

According to Ya’u Dauda, a Public Enlightenment officer on health in the Babura LGA, “there are many places like Gidan Maja where we visited yesterday together with staff of Save the Children, there we got report of the instant death of about 8 people.”

A total of 257 people in the state have so far, been infected with the disease.

The Mai Garin Digudun, who had spoken through his assistant, Malam Al Kasim, stated that over 50 people had been infected with the disease in his domain and many have died.

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“If a child is infected with the disease in the morning, before evening time the child is gone. Another child infected in the evening, before the morning time the child is dead. We have about 17 children in this town who died. Their ages ranged between 10,18.and even 20 yeaes old.”

Malam Yusuf Ahmed, the Bulama of Mai lebe in Gumel Emirate, said that 21 people have died in his area and the Mai Garin Kanyan Arewa, Akilu Dauda of Babura LGA said that 19 lives in the village have been claimed by the disease.

As she narrated her ordeal, a woman had told journalists that two of her children were infected with meningitis and one died on the way to the hospital while the other child was currently on admission.

Malam Samaila Mahmud, a health official in Jigawa state, stated that the report reaching them had indicated there were 65 deaths and a total of 257 cases in the state.

In the previous years, Jigawa state was hit by meningitis several times. Experts have said that the outbreak had been the result of congestion and poor sanitation among the people.