Meningitis Outbreak: Nigerian death toll rises to 813

Over 800 Nigerians have been killed by meningitis since the latest outbreak of the epidemic in the country 16 weeks ago.
The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, disclosed this figure on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja.
Mr. Adewole said though the outbreak which started in Nigeria in 2016 is now spreading more slowly, the disease has killed 813 people.
“As of yesterday (Tuesday), the number of deaths stood at 813”, Mr. Adewole told journalists after the cabinet meeting, adding however, “As of now, we are also noticing a decline”.
“This is week 16. This is also expected because we are moving away from the active season. We are confident that in the next couple of weeks everything will be over.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, also confirmed the figure in a tweet on his twitter page on Wednesday.
“We’ve lost about 800 people to Meningitis – this should not be the case. We must encourage families to take their children for vaccination”, he said in the tweet.
“As we mark #WorldImmunizationWeek, we must all encourage our families and communities to embrace vaccines as a preventive healthcare measure”, Mr. Saraki stated.