Sudan meningitis outbreak strikes 211, kills 17 -WHO
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Sudan meningitis outbreak strikes 211, kills 17 -WHO*
22 Jan 2007 12:27:39 GMT
Source: Reuters
JUBA, Sudan, Jan 22 (Reuters) - A meningitis outbreak sweeping through
southern Sudan has killed 17 people and infected 211, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) said on Monday, adding it had enough vaccines to
contain the outbreak.
On Sunday, the governor of south Sudan's central Warap state said in a
statement that at least 1,000 people had died in one week in an outbreak
of meningitis and another unknown disease.
But Abdullahi Ahmed, head of WHO in south Sudan, said on Monday: "As of
Jan. 17 the number of cases was 211 of which only 17 died and that
includes Central Equatoria states and Warap states."
He said health officials had not confirmed any disease other than
meningitis but laboratory tests were under way.
Ahmed said medical workers had enough vaccines to cover the most
affected county in Warap state.
South Sudan, after suffering decades of civil war, has little or no
infra-structure and is particularly at risk to outbreaks of disease.
Meningitis outbreaks affect Sudan during the dry season, as part of the
"meningitis belt" which runs from East to West Africa. It accounts for
more than half the cases of the disease worldwide each year.
Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain
and spinal cord. It can cause complications including brain damage and
deafness. About 5 percent to 10 percent of patients die from the
illness, according to the WHO.
Hundreds of thousands of southern Sudanese returning home after a
January 2005 peace deal are especially at risk because they live in
crowded camps where infectious diseases like meningitis thrive.