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Meningitis A outbreak in Africa – Chad vaccinates
The Republic of Chad is being hit by an outbreak of meningococcal meningitis, particularly in the south of this central African country. Since 1 January, the authorities have recorded around 1,000 cases, 54 of which have proved fatal. A major vaccination campaign is about to get under way.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 5 districts in the south of the country the disease has reached epidemic proportions.
To control this outbreak, the health authorities have amassed a stock of 752,000 doses of vaccine. Coordinated by the WHO, UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross Societies, the vaccination campaign is due to get off the ground in the next few days.
Chad is one of the countries belonging to the “meningitis belt” which stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia. This entire part of the continent regularly suffers outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis, with infection mainly occurring during the dry season, from December to March.
As well as Chad, the WHO has also identified cases of meningitis in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo.
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