7,690 Meningitis cases reported in the North, 1,405 in South Sudan
By Mayen Deng Athuai
May 7, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Federal Health Minister, Dr. Tabitha Butrus, has stated that 7,690 meningitis cases have been reported in the South during the period from January to the end of March, pointing out that the high tide of the disease is now receding following the rainfalls.
The Health Minister further revealed that 1,405 meningitis cases have been recorded in the northern states during the period from January to the first week of May 2007, explaining that fatalities rate reached 6.2 % as compared to the international average of 10 % -15 %.
In response to a query yesterday made at the national Assembly on the spread of the disease, Dr. Tabitha stressed that her Ministry, aided by International organizations, has mobilized efforts for controlling the disease through availing medications and organizing vaccination campaigns.
She on the other hand had denied that the cases so far listed, Kassala, North Kordofan and South Darfur, as 95 cases and 5 fatalities were recorded in Kassala, 61 cases and 4 fatalities in Gadaref and 92 cases and 4 fatalities in South Kordofan.
Referring to the marked shortage in meningitis vaccines, Tabitha argued that the world is suffering an acute shortage of those vaccines for reasons related to quality the vaccines produced by the main plant in France.
She disclosed that 812,500 doses have been dispensed during the vaccination campaigns while GOSS Health Ministry has provided 180,000 doses to be used for northern states following the ebb of the disease in the South.
(ST)