As CSM strikes again
Asad commentary on the state of health services in this county is the perennial scourge of CerebroSpinal Meningitis [CSM], a disease which strikes with different degrees of ferocity almost every year, leading to avoidable losses of lives. Known to be most prevalent during the dry season of December to June, CSM is presently on a ravage mission across the country and wasting many lives in its wake. At the last count, several states have recorded rising numbers of deaths from the disease.
For instance, Niger State Commissioner for Health Dr Mustapha Jibrin recently reported that his state has recorded 16 deaths while his Sokoto State colleague Dr. Balarabe Kakale put the figure for that state at 21. As for Zamfara State, all the 14 local governments have come under attack from CSM. To highlight the deadliness of the disease, the Centre for Disease Control [CDC] in Abuja has reported that at least 140 people have died since its latest outbreak in the country. This figure may include the earlier mentioned tolls for Niger and Sokoto. And given the less than robust response to it by sections of the country, the death toll is likely to rise over time.
Cerebro-spinal meningitis affects the thin protective fluid lining surrounding the brain and the spinal cord called the meningis, which when infected by the disease becomes inflamed. According the medical authorities, even with rapid diagnosis and treatment, as much as 5% - 10% of patients die between 24 to 48 hours. Symptoms of the disease include sudden high fever, stiff neck, headache, vomiting, confusion, loss of appetite and disinterest in the surroundings. It also has other longer term effects such as deafness, epilepsy, encephalus, cognitive defects and general debility. Thus by any means CSM is a scourge of unacceptable fatality which any nation needs to avoid its incidence among the citizenry, by all means.
According to medical authorities the disease is caused largely by Neiseria meningitides bacteria, though they also warn that some viruses and even species of fungi also serve as its vectors. This situation alludes to a wide spectrum of causative factors for the disease, even as all of them are associated with poor environmental standards. This contention enjoys credence given that most of the affected areas comprise locations with poor sanitation conditions. For instance, President of the Nigeria Medical Association [NMA] Dr. Mike Ozovehe Ogirima blames the weather and poor sanitation for the incidence of CSM. While the weather maybe beyond the control of humans, poor sanitation is a factor that human response can mitigate.
Yet in all its viciousness CSM can be treated with regular antibiotics and pain relievers which provide a welcome relief in the course of managing the disease. In that respect the Federal Ministry of Health has enjoyed significant support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in respect of tackling the disease in the context of the latter’s programme for the African Meningitis Belt which includes Nigeria.
Yet a more sustainable strategy for the management of the highly infectious and contagious scourge derives largely from its causative factors which have been identified to include congested communal living conditions which facilitate the easy spread of infection bearing body fluids and wastes such as saliva, urine, and faeces. Also culpable is the high incidence of infected patients acting in ignorance and ascribing attacks of the disease to witchcraft, whereby they often report too late for orthodox medical treatment.
Given the crying need for a permanent solution to the scourge of Cerebro-spinal Meningitis in Nigeria, there is the need to consolidate ongoing efforts with respect to immunisation, stepped up epidemiological surveillance to anticipate the likely onset of the disease, prompt case management, decongestion of vulnerable communities and intensified public enlightenment.