Meningitis outbreak spreads in south Sudan – WHO

Feb 24, 2007 (JUBA) — A meningitis outbreak that has swept through southern Sudan since January has continued to spread, killing 172 people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.

“Last year we had just under 5,000 cases but only in four states, now it has spread further into eight states already,” said Philippe Verstraeten, at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan.

Nearly 1,800 cases of infection have been identified since the beginning of the year.

Meningitis outbreaks affect Sudan during the dry season, as part of the “meningitis belt” which runs from East to West Africa. Burkina Faso in west Africa has called for international help in tackling a meningitis outbreak that has already killed 258.

In Sudan the disease has spread more rapidly since a north-south peace deal ended the country’s two decade long civil war in January 2005.

“More peace (has led to), more access and more movement than before, disease is spreading further now,” said Verstraeten.

It accounts for more than half the cases of the disease worldwide each year.

Sudan, after suffering decades of civil war, has little or no infra-structure and is particularly at risk to outbreaks of disease.

Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Often transmitted by coughing or sneezing, tt can cause complications including brain damage and deafness. About 5-10 percent of patients die from the illness, according to the WHO.

The south Sudan government has requested over 800,000 doses of meningitis vaccine from the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision for Epidemic Meningitis Control.

Verstraeten said the vaccines would be used in the most heavily affected areas, including the southern capital of Juba, which has had 165 reported cases this year, according to WHO figures.

(Reuters)