Nigeria Receives Meningitis Vaccines As Death Toll Rises

Nigeria has received meningitis vaccines from the World Health Organisation and the UK as the death toll from the epidemic increased to 328.

Health minister Isaac Adewole assured panic-gripped Nigerians on Saturday in Abuja that the government would curtail the outbreak.

“Through our initiatives, we have secured 500,000 doses of the meningococcal vaccines from WHO, which will be used in Zamfara and Katsina states, with additional 800,000 units from the British government .

“By next Tuesday, there will be a meeting with the International Review Group of the WHO, where request for additional vaccines shall be approved, as part of practical and medically certified efforts to stem this ugly incidence,” he said.

Prof Adewole added that government was not relenting on the progress made, “as we have been assured of millions of vaccine doses through other notable and international donor agencies”.

Meningitis has spread to 15 out of the 36 states as well as Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

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