The 2009–2010 West African meningitis outbreak was an

epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...

of bacterial

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

which occurred in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesNigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

since January 2009, an annual risk in the

African meningitis belt The African meningitis belt is a region in sub-Saharan Africa where the rate of incidence of meningitis is very high. It extends from Senegal to Ethiopia, and the primary cause of meningitis in the belt is ''Neisseria meningitidis''. The belt wa ...

. A total of 13,516 people have been infected with meningitis, and 931 have died. Nigeria has been the most adversely affected, with over half of the total cases and deaths occurring in the nation. The WHO reported on 27 March 2009 that 1,100 had died and there were 25,000 suspected cases.Reuters:UPDATE 1-Meningitis kills over 1,100 West Africans - WHO
/ref> It is the worst outbreak in the region since 1996, and a third of the world's emergency vaccine stockpile for the bacterial form has been consumed. The

GAVI Alliance GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (previously the GAVI Alliance, and before that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a Public–private partnership, public–private global health partnership with the goal of incr ...

has been trying to secure more vaccines.

Background

West Africa is regularly struck by an annual meningitis epidemic, usually affecting between 25,000 and 200,000 inhabitants. However, this epidemic has been the deadliest outbreak since 1996. That year meningitis infected over 100,000 people and killed 10,000 during a three-month period. According to Doctors Without Borders, up to 400 vaccination teams of five people each immunized thousands of people every day in the region for a few weeks. In total, 2.8 million people were vaccinated in Zinder, Maradi, and Dosso regions in Niger, and 4.5 million people in Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Gombe States in Nigeria. Vaccination campaigns continued at some sites in Nigeria for a total of 255,000 people.

Countries affected

Burkina Faso

The outbreak has affected four departments in Burkina Faso: Batié Department,

Manni Department Manni is a department or commune of Gnagna Province in northern Burkina Faso. Its capital is the town of Manni Manni is a town in the Manni Department of Gnagna Province in eastern Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭 ...

Solenzo Department Solenzo is a department or commune of Banwa Province in western Burkina Faso. Its capital is the town of Solenzo. According to the 2019 census the department has a total population of 157,596. Towns and villages The largest towns and villages a ...

, and

Toma Department Toma is a department or commune of Nayala Province in western Burkina Faso. Its capital is the town of Toma. According to the 2019 census the department has a total population of 39,109. Towns and villages * Toma (15,851 inhabitants) (capital) * ...

. About 15% of those infected have died from meningitis. In addition, a small

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

outbreak occurred at the same time as the meningitis epidemic.

Mali

In Mali, 54 people were infected with meningitis, six of whom died. At the time of the outbreak, several organizations were conducting clinical meningitis vaccine trials.

Niger

The outbreak first began in late January with several cases reported in

Zinder Region Zinder Region is one of the seven regions of Niger; the capital of the region is Zinder. The region covers 145,430 km². It is the most populous province of Niger. History Numerous Palaeolithic and Neolithic remains, as well as cave painting ...

, in southern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages Compared to the meningitis epidemic in 2008, more cases have been reported, but with a lower fatality rate. Five districts in Niger have been seriously affected by the outbreak, and eight others are "on alert," according to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

. A 1 May report from the remote towns of northern Niger described an increasing number of cases blamed on migrant workers from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

who travel through the region hoping to gain access to Algeria and Libya, and from there Europe. The

Agadez Region Agadez Region is one of the seven regions of Niger. At , it covers more than half of Niger's land area, and is the largest region in the country, as well as the largest African state subdivision. The capital of the department is Agadez. Histo ...

directorate of public health report reported 189 cases with 16 death is the Region, 99 cases with 4 deaths in

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of Agadez Region, it lies in the Sahara desert, and is also ...

alone. In the even more remote areas further east, officials in

Bilma Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It ...

and

Dirkou Dirkou is a town in the Bilma Department, Agadez Region of north-eastern Niger. It lies in the northern Kaouar escarpment, a north–south line of cliffs which form an isolated oasis in the Sahara desert. As of 2011, the commune had a total p ...

reported 36 cases but with 10 of them resulting in death.

Nigeria

Nigeria was struck especially hard, with 562 deaths in 9,086 cases. 333 deaths occurred in the country over a three-month period in twenty-two out of thirty-six states. 217

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

s also reported cases. Nigeria was the most adversely affected, Several states mounted large meningitis vaccination and information campaigns after the outbreak.

Babatunde Osotimehin Babatunde Osotimehin (6 February 1949 – 4 June 2017) was a Nigerian physician, who served as Minister of Health, and in 2011 became the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the ...

, the Nigerian Minister of Health said that his nation was prepared for the expected epidemic: "On 3rd September 2008, we alerted all the States in the meningitis belt to intensify surveillance, preposition drugs and laboratory materials and sensitise the public on preventive measures. Indeed, right from August 2008, the Ministry had prepositioned all the states in the meningitis belt with oily chloramphenicol as well as laboratory reagents and materials for confirmation of cases."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West African meningitis outbreak, 2009 2009 disease outbreaks 2010 disease outbreaks 2009 in Africa 2009 in Burkina Faso 2009 in Mali 2009 in Niger 2009 in Nigeria 2010 in Africa 2010 in Burkina Faso 2010 in Mali 2010 in Niger 2010 in Nigeria Meningitis Disease outbreaks in Burkina Faso Disease outbreaks in Mali Disease outbreaks in Niger Disease outbreaks in Nigeria 2009 disasters in Africa 2010 disasters in Africa