Meningitis: Nigeria Records 1,858 Cases, 156 Deaths In 23 States

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that the country has recorded a total of 1,858 suspected cases of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) and 156 associated deaths since the beginning of the current meningitis season.

NCDC, in its Cerebrospinal Meningitis Report on its website on Sunday, disclosed that 10 states were bearing the brunt of the outbreak, accounting for 94 per cent of all suspected cases.

The States include Kebbi (881), Sokoto (303), Katsina (158), Jigawa (147), Yobe (109), Gombe (47), Borno (36), Adamawa (27), Bauchi (66), and Oyo (23).

According to the report, 17 local government areas across nine states have each reported more than 10 suspected cases. Some of the worst-hit LGAs include Gwandu (313 cases), Aliero (143), in Kebbi State and Tambuwal (155) in Sokoto State.

During the most recent reporting week (Epidemiological Week 12: March 17–23), 315 new suspected cases were reported from Kebbi, Sokoto, and Yobe States. Of these, 38 cases were confirmed, 23 NmC, 14 NmW, and one case of Streptococcus pneumoniae, while 14 deaths were recorded, bringing the weekly CFR to 4.4 per cent.

The report showed that a total of 60 new samples were collected from nine states during the same period. Notably, four LGAs; Gwandu, Aliero, Jega, and Tambuwal, have crossed the epidemic threshold.

Despite the rising death toll, NCDC noted a 65 per cent decrease in reported cases in week 12 (315) compared to the previous week (418), suggesting a potential downward trend. However, national multi-sectoral emergency operations centers continue to monitor the situation closely.

So far, 23 states have reported suspected CSM cases since the start of the season (Epi Week 40 in 2024 to Epi Week 12 in 2025), including Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, the FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, and Yobe.