23 states recorded 156 meningitis deaths, 1,858 suspected cases – NCDC
The death toll recorded from cerebrospinal meningitis has increased to 156, up from the previous 74 deaths, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data, which highlighted details from week 40 of 2024 to week 12 of 2025, also showed that the confirmed cases are 126 out of the 1,858 suspected cases across 23 states and 121 local government areas.
The agency also said the Case Fatality Rate is at 8.4 pet cent.
The 23 states reporting suspected CSM cases are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto and Yobe.
Meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
It is a devastating disease and remains a major public health challenge. The disease can be caused by many different pathogens, including bacteria, fungi or viruses, but the highest global burden is seen with bacterial meningitis, according to the World Health Organisation.
One in four survivors suffers permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, limb weakness, difficulties with vision, speech, language, memory and communication, as well as scarring and limb amputations.
Seasonal outbreaks are common during the dry season, which runs from December to June, peaking between March and April when low humidity and high dust levels prevail.
On Friday, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare received over 1,000,000 pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine doses from the Gavi-funded global stockpile this week to combat the meningococcus C and W outbreak in northern Nigeria.
In 2024, Nigeria was the first country in the world to roll out Men5CV recommended by WHO, which protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria.
The vaccine has the potential to reduce meningitis cases and advance progress in defeating meningitis.
The report from NCDC noted that as of March 23, 2025, “A total of 1,826 suspected cases with 151 death (CFR 8.3 per cent) have been reported from 23 states in the current season. A total of 289 samples were collected from some of the reported suspected cases since the beginning of the season, with 126 confirmed (44 per cent positivity rate) NmC accounts for 27 per cent, NmW 13.5 per cent, Spn 2.1 per centand NmX 0.7 per centand Hib 0.3 per cent each of the confirmed cases. Age group 5 -14 years remains most affected group. 60 per cent of the total suspected cases are Male.
“Ninety-four per cent of all suspected cases are being reported from 10 states – Kebbi (881), Katsina (158), Jigawa (147), Yobe (109), Gombe (47), Sokoto (303), Borno (36), Adamawa (27), Oyo (23) and Bauchi (66).
“Seventeen LGAs across nine states reported more than ten suspected cases in the current CSM season. Gwandu (313), Tambuwal (155), Aleiro (143), Katsina (69), Kankia (54), Sule-Tankarkar (29), Jega (61), Fune (28), Maiduguri (29), Jahun (15), Birnin kudu (13), Nafada (13), Nguru (53), Bauch (25), Gamawa (20), Taura (14), Sule-Tankarkar (30), Birnin kudu (13), Nafada (13) and Yola South (13).”
The public health institute noted that its multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre is coordinating response activities in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and development partners.
