Health
130 LGAs Records Outbreak of Meningitis, Kills 183
Nigeria has reported a total of 287 confirmed cases out of 2,707 suspected cases of meningitis, including 183 deaths, with a case-fatality ratio of 6.8 per cent.
Their cases were reported from 130 Local Government Areas in 24 states, including the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria from From October 2022, to July 2, 2023.
This is according to the epidemiology situation of the disease released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
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.
Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis are the most frequent ones. N. meningitidis, causing meningococcal meningitis, is the one with the potential to produce large epidemics.
Meningococcal meningitis is transmitted from person to person through droplets of respiratory and throat secretions, usually by asymptomatic carriers. Close, prolonged contact with an infected person, or living with a carrier, facilitates the spread of the disease. The average incubation period is four days but can range between two and 10 days.
Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states reported the suspected CSM cases.
The report partly read that as of July 2, “A total of 2,707 suspected cases including 183 deaths have been reported from 24 states in this 2022/2023 CSM season. A total of 667 samples collected (25 per cent) from 2,707 suspected cases from beginning of the outbreak, and 298 confirmed (45 per cent positivity rate).
“The five to 14-year-old age group was the most affected. 54 per cent of the total suspected cases were Males. 98 per cent of all suspected cases were from six (10) states – Jigawa (1508 cases), Yobe (654 cases), Katsina (177 cases), Bauchi (123 cases), Zamfara (53 cases), Adamawa (45 cases), Gombe (26 cases), Kano (10 cases) and Sokoto (10 cases).
“Nineteen LGAs across five states, Jigawa (10), Katsina (4), Yobe (2), Bauchi (2) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 20 cases each this 2022/2023 CSM season.”
The NCDC, however, said it will continue to support affected states with essential response commodities.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that Lassa fever has claimed 259 lives and infected 1,086 people across 24 states and 118 local government areas so far in 2026.
In its latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for epidemiological week 36 (August 31 to September 6), the agency said the figures represent a case fatality rate of 23.9 percent — significantly higher than the 18.6 percent recorded during the same period in 2025.
Twelve new confirmed cases were recorded in week 36, a decline from the 18 cases reported the previous week. The fresh infections were detected in Ondo, Edo and Kogi states.
Five states continue to bear the heaviest burden, accounting for 87 percent of all confirmed cases this year: Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo. People aged 21 to 30 remain the most affected age group.
The NCDC noted that no new infections among healthcare workers were recorded during the latest reporting week. The agency continues to urge the public to maintain hygiene, avoid contact with rodents and their droppings, and seek early medical care if symptoms appear.
Health
Nigerian hospital successfully performs kidney cancer surgery via tele-robotic
The development could reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for specialised medical treatment, thereby reducing expenditure on international travel, accommodation and medical services.
• A surgeon performing tele-robotic surgery.
Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, has partnered with RoboMed Global and The Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV) to successfully perform what the hospital described as the first tele-robotic surgery in Nigeria and West Africa.
The landmark kidney cancer surgery was performed on a patient at Nisa Premier Hospital, Abuja, while the surgeon, Professor Obi Ekwenna-Davis, remotely controlled the robotic surgical platform from Redeemer’s Health Village in Lagos.
The procedure, which lasted approximately three hours, was performed to remove a kidney affected by a cancerous tumour.
The hospital said the patient had been discharged following the successful procedure, although details about the patient’s identity and condition were withheld for privacy reasons.
Speaking during an event to mark the milestone, the Chief Executive Officer of Nisa Premier Hospital, Dr Ibrahim Wada, said the development demonstrated the potential of tele-robotic surgery to connect specialist surgical expertise with patients across Nigeria.
Wada said the procedure was carried out using the MicroPort robotic surgical platform installed at Nisa Premier Hospital, with the remote surgeon controlling the system from Lagos.
He said the development could reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for specialised medical treatment, thereby reducing expenditure on international travel, accommodation and medical services.
According to him, the technology also creates an opportunity for Nigerians to access specialised expertise from doctors located in other parts of the world without requiring the doctors to travel physically to Nigeria.
Source: Daily Trust
Health
Ondo ‘Monkey Tail’ herbal drink kills 49
The Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr Banji Ajaka, who disclosed this on Wednesday night, said the number of affected persons has now climbed to 170.
A locally produced herbal concoctions known as ‘Monkey Tail’ in Ondo State has killed 49 people .
The Commissioner for Health in the State, Dr Banji Ajaka, who disclosed this on Wednesday night, said the number of affected persons has now climbed to 170.
He explained that the latest deaths were recorded in Irele Local Government Area of the state, where eight persons have died from suspected poisoning.
Ajaka disclosed that health authorities had deployed response teams to Irele LGA and other affected communities to conduct surveillance, manage cases and trace the source of the suspected toxic substance.
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