DRC meningitis outbreak could cause large epidemic

THE meningitis outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been identified as the Neisseria meningitidis – one of the most frequent types of bacterial meningitis with the potential to cause large epidemics.

It was declared in the northeastern Tshopo Province where 261 suspected cases and 129 deaths – a high case fatality ratio of 50% – have been reported.

Tshopo lies in the African meningitis belt that runs across the continent from Senegal to Ethiopia and comprises 26 countries. The African meningitis belt is the most vulnerable globally to recurrent outbreaks.

More than 100 patients are already receiving treatment at home and in health centres in Banalia.

Meningitis is transmitted through droplets of respiratory or throat secretions from infected people.

Close and prolonged contact or living in close quarters with an infected person facilitates the spread of the disease. Although people of all ages can catch the disease, it mainly affects babies, children and young people.

Emergency teams have since been deployed, and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), efforts are under way to quickly ramp up the response.

A crisis response committee has been set up in Banalia, the community affected by the outbreak, as well as in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo, to accelerate the outbreak control efforts.

WHO has provided medical supplies in Banalia and plans to deploy more experts and resources.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa said: “Meningitis is a serious infection and a major public health challenge. We are moving fast, delivering medicines and deploying experts to support the government’s efforts to bring the outbreak under control in the shortest possible time.”

WHO representative in the DRC, Dr Amédée Prosper Djiguimdé, said they had scaled up control measures within the community and were rapidly investigating suspected cases in surrounding localities to treat patients and curb potentially widespread infections.

The WHO said that over the years major improvements had been made on vaccines, which are specific to the type of meningitis.

More than 1.6 million people aged between 1 and 29 years were vaccinated in a massive campaign in 2016 in Tshopo.