Source:
https://blueprint.ng/worsening-cases-of-meningitis-in-northern-states/
Worsening cases of meningitis in northern states
April 3, 2026 Blueprint Editorial 0
Nigeria is facing a worsening meningitis outbreak in northern states, with health experts warning that current vaccines do not fully protect against the dominant Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C strain which is spreading rapidly. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), children aged one to 15 years are most affected. At the same time, overcrowding during seasonal dry winds increases transmission risks in some parts of the country, especially in the northern states located within Africa’s meningitis belt.
According to NCDC’s surveillance map for March 2026, 11 states fall under the high-risk category. The affected states are Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno. The Director General of the agency, Dr. Jide Idris, said that meningitis is a recurring, seasonal public health threat in Nigeria and typically peaks during the dry season. Addressing the press during the 14th Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting on Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), the NCDC boss said, “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), males account for 57–62% of cases, while children and adolescents aged 1–15 are most affected. The disease is particularly deadly for those under 20. Between October 2022 and April 2023, Nigeria recorded 1,686 suspected cases and 124 deaths, representing a 7% case fatality rate”.
From 2024 to March 2026, the NCDC said the disease was mostly concentrated in the “African Meningitis Belt”, spreading across Northern Nigeria. Those states that are termed as High-Risk/Hardest Hit states: Sokoto (the highest suspected cases in 2025), Kebbi (significant fatalities in early 2025), and Jigawa (historical epicenter and major 2024 hotspot). Other states that were heavily affected included northern states of Zamfara, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi, Kano, Adamawa, Gombe, and Borno. Outbreaks have also been reported in the Southern states of Oyo, Anambra, and Osun.
Expressing concerns that available vaccine strains did not fully match the circulating serogroup C strain, Idris said that additional strategies were needed to combat ongoing outbreaks. The NCDC boss disclosed that outbreaks were largely driven by serogroup C, which had replaced serogroup A, while other strains, such as W, X, and Y, alongside bacterial causes, are responsible for fewer reported cases from December to April when dry, dusty weather, overcrowding, and poor ventilation increase transmission rates. To arrest ongoing outbreaks, the agency, according to Idris, has intensified surveillance and response nationwide, with laboratory testing at the state level to strengthen national laboratory capacity and improve detection and confirmation of reported cases...
