Invasive Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C Outbreak in Northwest Nigeria, 2015 – Third Consecutive Outbreak of a New Strain

Conclusion and Recommendations This outbreak was the largest caused by N. meningitidis serogroup C ever documented in this part of the meningitis belt in northwest Nigeria. Since meningococcal meningitis ACWY polysaccharide vaccine should provide protection for at least 2 to 3 years,23,24 it can be anticipated that the geographic spread and case numbers should be reduced in the next few meningitis seasons. Nonetheless, to help further curtail outbreaks of NmC, a vaccination campaign with a long-lasting conjugate vaccine similar to MenAfriVac® should be considered in the region. Competing Interests The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Data Availability Statement The underlying data is provided as a supplementary table in the manuscript. Supplementary Material Table S1. Number, deaths and weekly incidence rate of CSM cases treated by MSF in Kebbi and Sokoto states, February 10 – June 8, 2015 Kebbi Sokoto Total Epidemiological week Cases (n) Deaths (n) Incidence Cases (n) Deaths (n) Incidence Cases (n) Deaths (n) Incidence 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Source Type: research