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Togo launches campaign against meningitis epidemic as death toll rises to 29

Xinhua, February 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Togo on Thursday launched a massive immunization campaign against meningitis epidemic as the death toll increased from 16 to 29 in about ten days.

"To date, we have recorded 29 deaths out of 417 cases," said Togolese Minister of Communication Guy Lorenzo in a televised speech.

On Feb. 8, the government said that the epidemic claimed the lives of 16 people out of 197 cases recorded in Dankpen sanitary district, northern Togo.

"Unfortunately, it had been noted the spread of the epidemic in the Central Region, two fatalities out of 38 cases, and in the Savannah Region, three deaths out of 43 cases," Lorenzo said.

"In the coming days, massive immunization campaigns will be conducted in the affected areas," the official added.

The Togolese government announced earlier that "urgent provisions have been taken" since the meningitis outbreak to confine and eradicate the epidemic.

"Preventive measures were established and allowed to isolate sick persons, to order vaccines by a fast-track procedure and to set up a coordination cell in Health Ministry for a better synchronization of interventions," said a government release. Enditem