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Meningitis outbreak kills 76 in Niger

Xinhua, April 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

An outbreak of meningitis epidemic in Niger has killed 76 people out of a total of 1,049 cases reported since January in the country, an official source said on Thursday.

The source from the Health Ministry said the most affected were those aged five to 14.

At least 20 have died of the disease in the capital, Niamey.

Measures have been taken since January to fight the epidemic. The government has distributed drugs in hospitals across the country to treat any suspected cases.

Over 132,000 people have been vaccinated against the disease from February to March in an ongoing vaccination campaign.

In 2015, meningitis killed over 573 people out of 8,500 cases detected in Niger.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges caused by viral or bacterial infection and marked by intense headache and fever, sensitivity to light, and muscular rigidity, leading (in severe cases) to convulsions, delirium, and death. Endit