The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has revealed that the number of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) deaths in the country has risen to 151, with 1,826 suspected cases recorded across 121 Local Government Areas in 23 States.
The current case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 8.3 per cent.
According to the agency’s Epidemiological Week 12 Report, which covers the period from March 17 to March 23, 2025, Kebbi and Sokoto States are among the worst hit, with 10 States accounting for 94 percent of all suspected cases.
The 23 States reporting suspected CSM cases include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, and Yobe.
The NCDC said that a total of 1,826 suspected cases with 151 deaths have been reported from the 23 States in the current season.
A total of 289 samples were collected from some of the suspected cases, with 126 confirmed, indicating a 44 percent positivity rate.
Of the confirmed cases, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (NmC) accounts for 27 percent, NmW for 13.5 percent, Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) for 2.1 percent, NmX for 0.7 percent, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) for 0.3 percent.
The age group most affected remains children aged 5 to 14 years, while 60 percent of all suspected cases are male.
Further breakdown of the data shows that 94 percent of suspected cases were reported from Kebbi with 881 cases, Katsina with 158, Jigawa with 147, Yobe with 109, Gombe with 47, Sokoto with 303, Borno with 36, Adamawa with 27, Oyo with 23, and Bauchi with 66.
Seventeen Local Government Areas across nine States reported more than ten suspected cases.
These include Gwandu with 313 cases, Tambuwal with 155, Aleiro with 143, Katsina with 69, Kankia with 54, Sule-Tankarkar with 30, Jega with 61, Fune with 28, Maiduguri with 29, Jahun and Birnin Kudu with 13 cases each, Nafada with 13, Nguru with 53, Bauchi with 25, Gamawa with 20, Taura with 14, and Yola South with 13.
Meningitis is a serious infection of the meninges, the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
It remains a major public health challenge and can be caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bacterial meningitis carries the highest global burden.
One in four survivors suffers permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, limb weakness, vision and speech difficulties, memory and communication problems, scarring, and even limb amputations.
Seasonal outbreaks are common during Nigeria’s dry season, which runs from December to June, peaking between March and April when low humidity and high dust levels prevail.
