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Nigeria meningitis death toll surpasses 2,000Outbreak more serious than initially feared, nation's health officials say
updated 3:57 p.m. ET May 6, 2009
ABUJA, Nigeria - A meningitis outbreak in Nigeria is more serious than
initially feared with the death toll rising more than sixfold over the
past two months, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
Deaths from the epidemic have risen to 2,148 since the first case was
recorded in December from 333 announced by the health minister in early
March. The number of reported cases has climbed more than eightfold to
47,902 over the same period.
About two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states are affected by the epidemic, the
ministry said. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country with a population
of more than 140 million.
UNICEF said last month that more than 2,500 people had been killed by
meningitis this year in West and Central Africa in what could be the worst
epidemic for five years. Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad are
considered Africa's high-risk zone.
[...]
The meningitis death toll in Nigeria since December is almost 50 times the
number of people killed worldwide by the H1N1 swine flu virus. But the
speed with which it has spread underscores the potential dangers if swine
flu reaches Africa.
[...]
The worst recent meningitis epidemic in West and Central Africa occurred
in 1996-97 when an estimated 100,000 people were infected in Nigeria and
50,000 in Niger.
Copyright 2009 Reuters.
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mehr:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30604930/from/ET/.