Monday, January 21, 2008

It’s here: Meningitis hits Burkina Faso

Right on schedule, too. Just 100 km south of Ouagadougou, meningitis bacteria have infected nearly 120 people, killing 19, the government’s health ministry said. Last year, nearly 26,000 people in Burkina Faso were infected with the disease, killing 1,700 people.

This year portends to be even worse.

From the Journal Chretien:

“The epidemic in Sapouy district has reached an alarming level,” Health minister Alain Bédouma Yoda conceded.

One problem, Yoda said, is that many people in the area were immunized three years ago, making the vaccine no longer effective.

Here is a primer on meningitis in Burkina Faso and throughout West Africa.

No comments: