April 7, 2025
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has announced that Nigeria recorded 1,858 suspected cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis, CSM, with 156 deaths across 23 states in the 2023/2024 epidemic season.
According to NCDC, the report which showed Kebbi State as the outbreak’s epicentre, with 881 suspected cases and 67 deaths covers epidemiological week 40 of 2024 to week 12 of 2025 (ending 23 March 2025)
NCDC said it recorded 38 confirmed cases and 14 deaths during the reporting week, while the national case fatality rate, CFR, is 4.4 per cent at present.
The cases were recorded in Kebbi, Sokoto and Yobe states.
The centre noted that 44 per cent of sampled cases were confirmed, with most confirmed cases attributed to Neisseria meningitidis serogroups C and A.
According to the NCDC, six states, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, and Gombe are high-burden areas.
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It further stated that children within ages five to 14 are most affected, adding that there is also a gender disparity as 60 per cent of all suspected cases are male.
The report further stated that the states affected have activated multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) to coordinate response efforts.
As a response to the outbreak, the NCDC said that the national multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre, hosted at the NCDC, will continue to coordinate the response in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies
NCDC noted that it had deployed rapid response teams to affected states and has distributed essential treatment and diagnostic commodities, including ceftriaxone, TI media, and lumbar puncture kits, to the states.
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The agency lamented that despite the response measures, it faces multiple challenges such as inadequately trained personnel, poor sample collection, and inconsistent data reporting from states, while some secondary and tertiary facilities were found not to be conducting active case searches.
Cerebrospinal Meningitis, CSM, is an infection that causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord protective membranes.
It is often caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, with bacterial meningitis being the most severe and potentially fatal form.
Common symptoms of CSM include, sudden fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea, sensitivity to light, and confusion.
While for children, the symptoms may also include high-pitched crying, a bulging soft spot on the head, and difficulty waking up.
Early diagnosis and treatment are critical. Bacterial meningitis can lead to serious complications such as brain damage, hearing loss, or death if not treated early and promptly.
